The Hunters Game
by yugixyamiyaoilover
Summary: After a terrible war took place in what is known as Vampire City life has finally returned to normal. Humans and vampires alike have become closer bringing with it a brighter future for the city. However new enemies are on the rise to threaten this peace and it's up to the city's rulers to protect their people once more. A dangerous game of life and death is about to begin. YxYY
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunters Game**

**Genre**: Romance/Supernatural

**Rating**: T for language, violence, and suggested themes

**Pairing: **YamixYuugi with other minor pairings

**Summary**: After a terrible war took place in what is known as Vampire City life has finally returned to normal. Humans and vampires alike have become closer bringing with it a brighter future for the city. However new enemies are on the rise to threaten this peace and it's up to the city's rulers to protect their people once more. A dangerous game of life and death is about to begin.

* * *

**Sakura: **This probably has come as a surprise to everyone. I had no idea I would be writing a sequel to one of my most popular stories 'The Vampire City' until this story plot hit me. There was no way I was going to pass up the chance to make a sequel even though I never planned one.

Huge shout out to **s2Teennovliest**! I can pretty much dedicate this whole story to her for always being there and helping me get this story started. It was thanks to her I was able to get my thoughts together and figure out how I wanted this story to go. Planning and outlining is huge for stories, but it's also good to have someone who can help you get your thoughts in the right order.

Also credit for the title also goes to **s2Teennovliest** because she thought of it and I think its way better than the title I had picked. It fits the story so much better.

**Disclaimer: YU-GI-OH, BLACK BLOOD BROTHERS, AND TWILIGHT DO NOT AND NEVER WILL BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**VAMPIRE CITY**

The one place vampires and humans coexist

* * *

Vampires are considered mythical creatures that do not exist in the human world. There are myths and books based on what it would be like to live in a world with vampires. Some people see them as fake, others dangerous blood thirsty monsters, and some who would do anything to become one. Humans can be blind to the truth but there is one city hidden from the world that holds such creatures. This place is called Vampire City...

It was built over two thousand years ago and only select few know about it. It's location in the middle of the Atlantic hidden from human eyes was in order to protect the humans however some humans have traveled there and even become citizens. Portals protected by certain individuals keep the city under lock and key so only humans may travel to and from the city.

As the years pass only few humans knew about the city but somehow the population of humans never went down to cause worry for the vampires. Humans were a natural source of blood for the vampires and if the humans disappeared the vampires would slowly die. Certain humans who we're known as vampire hunters hoped one day the vampires would die off but this did not happen and slowly it was the hunters' family lines that started to end with only a few left to remain to watch over the humans who did not know about the city.

There was never a case of a human stumbling upon the city by accident until one. A young adult by the name of Yuugi Mutou happened to be that special case. He was just on a dig with his college class in Egypt when two other students locked him in the tomb. While looking for another way out he happened to stumble upon one of the portals and ended up in the city. It had been by accident so the king of the fair city overlooked it and offered Yuugi the chance to live there. At first the young lad turned the king down only to return to the city a few days later once he was kicked out of his college.

In the end it seemed like the best choice because not only did Yuugi get to start a new life he also found true love in the oddest of places. It was a huge surprise to the city's people that this one human male stole the heart of their king. However it was a huge relief that the lonely king finally had someone to be by his side.

That sounds like a typical fairy tale ending but that story had a dark side also. While the king enjoyed his new found love, a war no one saw coming slowly started to brew. Humans were kidnapped and changed against their will to become vampires, which broke one of the main laws of that city. Behind it all was a group of vampires who grew to hate the humans along with one of the children of the king.

The war did not last long between the vampires but the war did come at a price. The city was forced to rebuild before the humans could return but that wasn't the worst of it. Along with countless vampires being killed, the king lost a son because of his son's misguided ways. One finally price of the war was a force choice made by the king whose future mate had been terrible wounded. The king ended up having to change his mate into a vampire if only to save his life. However not all choices are bad. When the war was said and done the city returned to normal and the city gained not one but two great rulers.

This is the continuation of the love story between a powerful vampire King and his vampire mate.

* * *

**20 Years Later**

Sunlight streamed into the room from the opened balcony doors causing the occupant of the bed to groan in annoyance. The young male sleeping buried his head under his pillow to try and fall back asleep. This however would not be accomplished as the door to the bedroom opened to reveal a small little girl with brown hair that fell to her shoulders and wearing a cute light blue dress that reached her knees. She ran and jumped on the bed with a graceful leap and landed with no problem on top the sleeping male.

A growl rose pass the male's lips as the pillow was removed and hazel eyes looked directly into amethyst. With fake anger, the male surprised the little girl by sitting up with inhuman speed and grabbing her around the waist. A grin broke out on his face as he started to tickle her causing a high pitch laugh to break out from the girl.

She tried to get away but the one holding her was too strong. "St-stop...papa!"

The other did as asked and let her catch her breath. "That will teach you from jumping on papa, huh Chan?"

Chan grinned up at her papa. "Daddy told me to come get you up for breakfast."

"Well tell the all mighty king that I will be down once I get ready." He said as he kissed her forehead. Chan nodded to that before she hurried off the bed and out of the room.

A yawn escaped the male as he stretched before getting up to prepare for the day. He took a quick ten minute shower then dressed himself in a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt. Lastly he stood in front of the floor to ceiling mirror beside his and the King's shared dresser to brush his tri-colored hair. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the photo frames that had stared to grow in numbers on the dresser from the past few years after he joined the family. It was strange that over twenty plus years ago he was once a simple human entering this fair city and now he was the King's mate.

King Yami Atemu was a brave and mighty king to the people of Vampire City. It was once again a city of peace where humans and vampires could live together after the war that had broken out twenty years ago. Many things had changed because of that war but it had all been for the better. Mainly the rebirth of himself, Yuugi Mutou, as a newly turned vampire.

Being a vampire had its perks but it also took years of adjustment for the young male. The real upside was the fact that he would forever live with his lover and their children that Yami adopted hundreds of years before Yuugi had entered the city.

A sigh escaped Yuugi as he placed the brush on the dresser and took note of the picture that had only recently in the past five years taken a spot on top the dresser. Twenty years later and it was still hard to let go of that faithful day when one of their sons betrayed the family and turned against them. In the end Jiro, the one who did not accept Yuugi into the family until the war, died on the battle field and forever left their lives. It took years for the family to recover from that day but it had gotten better. There were days when the other children and Yami missed the silent vampire but they knew he was in a better place and probably much happier.

So much had changed over the last twenty years but nothing would make Yuugi ever regret becoming what he was for true love. He flashed himself a fanged smile in the mirror before leaving his shared bedroom to begin the day as co-ruler of Vampire City.

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**Sakura: **Well there you have it, chapter one finished of 'The Hunters Game'. I hoped you all have enjoyed reading and look forward to the rest of the story. I have a few important things I would like to address before fully ending the chapter.

In the disclaimer I mention 'Black Blood Brothers' I'm not sure how many remember but it was in the disclaimer for Vampire City also. The reason is 'Black Blood Brothers' is an anime which I like about vampires and I used some of the characters. Jiro, Kotaro, and Chan all come from that show, but I forgot to mention it in vampire city. Since Kotaro and Chan are still around I put the title in the disclaimer.

Before any one bugs me about this yes twilight characters are back, but they are super MINOR characters. I had them in the first story so they will be in this one also. They have really small roles so you might not even notice them. Plus I borrow the idea of vampires with golden eyes that change people from bite from the Twilight books, so that is the main reason why twilight is in the disclaimer again. So if you dislike twilight I have no problem with that, but please do not decide to not read this story because of that.

**Yumi: **Sakura and I look forward to seeing everyone's review and if you have any questions please do ask us.

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I'm happy at all the reviews I have received. I knew people would be excited about the sequel, lets just hope this one is as good or better than Vampire City.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**CO-RULER**

One person with many jobs

* * *

If anyone had asked Yuugi what he wanted to be when he grew up, he more than likely would have answered that he would either like to be a business man like his father had been before he died or an archaeologist like his grandfather. The dream of being an archaeologist had almost come true until one fateful day that changed his life forever. On the other hand if anyone told Yuugi he would one day be co-ruler to a city that held both vampires and humans he might have laughed at them.

It was not something a child grew up believing in. Sure some children had imaginations of being kings, queens, warriors, pirates, and so forth. Some may even think of themselves as vampires, but never in his life did Yuugi picture himself living the life of a vampire and ruling over a city with his soul mate.

It's amazing that one minute you're a human going to college enjoying life and then next you're turned into a vampire. Honestly Yuugi wasn't complaining, but twenty years later and he was still getting used to it. However in the depths of Yuugi's mind there was no way he would change what had happened.

"Your majesty, if you could spare a minute?" Ah yes that was one of the many things Yuugi still wasn't used to.

Yuugi turned his attention to one of the many palace workers. She was dressed in the typical workers' uniform of black slacks and a white button down shirt. The uniform for all palace workers was simple, but everyone had a different look to show what they did inside the palace. This worker had a silver pin pinned to the collar of her shirt in the shape of wings to show she was a messenger. Messengers were used throughout the entire palace by the palace royalty, council members, and other important people who lived within the palace walls. Their main mission was to pass around information back and forth between the council members and the royal family. The place was so big and everyone was so busy that it was hard to get anyone on a phone or see someone in person.

She held out a binder to Yuugi which he kindly took and opened to see a few reports. "Councilman Bakura asked me to give this to a member of the royal family or King Yami, so that King Yami may take a look over the monthly report for all the stations." She explained while looking down at Yuugi seeing his confused face.

Realization dawned on Yuugi's face as he closed the binder and had to fight down his blush. There were so many progress reports that went through Yami's office that Yuugi always seemed to lose what day something was supposed to come in. "Ah yes thank you, Yami has been waiting on Bakura to send these to him. I'll be sure they make it to him." Yuugi thanked her, before she bowed and bid him good day then hurried off for her next job.

As he tucked the binder under his arm, Yuugi continued his journey to the dining hall before his husband started to worry. He was supposed to be at breakfast over thirty minutes ago and even though Yuugi could take care of himself, Yami always worried when Yuugi was running late. It seemed that even after Yuugi became a vampire, Yami was still going to worry over him, but that was natural for a husband.

It just showed the Yami cared for him and after twenty years of marriage Yuugi was perfectly okay with an overprotective husband. At the thought of his husband, Yuugi hurried his pace dodging palace workers here and there until he finally made it to his destination.

The doors were wide open allowing Yuugi entry with no hassle and he made a bee line for the head of the table. All the children were present sitting around finishing up their meals, while Yami sat at the head of the table with his arms crossed and eyes closed. If anyone else in the palace would have come by they probably would have thought the proud King had fallen asleep at the breakfast table, but Yuugi knew better than that.

As soon as he was within distance, his wrist was caught and he was pulled down for a well-deserved morning kiss. The kiss only went on for what felt like a second because a groan quickly sounded from someone at the table. Once the two rulers broke apart, Yuugi turned to see Chan and Kotaro silently laughing to themselves, while he caught sight of Ethan scowling Taylor who was nursing the back of his head that Ethan mostly likely slapped. Jason just rolled his eyes at this family before turning his attention back to the young female beside him.

Nothing much was different with his family besides the new edition to the family in the form of Jason's new wife a black haired beauty named Raven. The female beside him had been the same girl he had fallen in love with way back before the war. However two years before the war started she had left for college in America and the two lost touch. Once she graduated, she ended up returning to the city she had grown up in and the two got back into touch and realized they still have feelings for each other. So after five years since the war and three of those five years dating, Raven made the choice to marry and be changed by Jason so they could have forever together. The young adult may have been twenty three when she was changed, but she still looked every bit of the fifteen year old girl that Jason fell for, which worked out since Jason still looked like his fifteen year old self from three hundred years ago. They were a perfect match and it made Yuugi and Yami happy that their son had found happiness like they had.

The only two that may never find out the joys of marriage and having a lover were Kotaro and Chan since they were forever trapped in the bodies of children, but it did not seem to upset the two given they were allowed the joy of always being the babies of the family.

Yuugi was happy to have all of them as his children no matter what and it was times like these that he wished his grandfather had been still alive to see all of this. Before his thoughts started to turn depressing, he took his place to Yami's left and placed the binder in front of Yami. "Bakura's messenger found me in the halls on the way here and asked me to give this to you."

Yami pushed the reports to the side for after breakfast as he kept his attention on his husband. "Funny, since Bakura knows I always have breakfast around this time. I'm sure he told his messenger that, so I wonder why she stopped you in the hallway."

"Well it was either she saw I was on my way there and she needed to hurry to do her next job or…" Yuugi gently tapped Yami's cheek with his hand. "You still scare some of the workers."

Yami sighed as he lean back in his seat and watched as Yuugi dug into his food. "You would think people would be used to me after twenty years. I thought losing the mask and bandages would help people be less fearful of me, but I think it made it worst." It was true that twenty years ago Yami finally lost the mask and threw away the bandages in favor of finally showing his face in the public. The change was supposed to be a good move, but sometimes Yami wondered if he would have been better off keeping the mask. There were people who still pretended not to stare when he walked by and some people were even scared to look him in the eye when talking to him. He tried to be a kind ruler to his people, so if anyone looked him in the face he wasn't going to punish them. Sometimes being the King had its downfall when it came to his people being scared of him.

Yuugi swallowed his bite and took a drink before offering his partner a comforting smile. "You're their King so I think no matter what you do they will always have some fear of you. A lot of people get nervous in front of people with power and are afraid of doing something to cause you to hate them," That smile then turned into a grin. "Besides it doesn't matter what others think. I think you always look handsome and sexy."

The laugh that escaped Yami was rich sounding and it would have made Yuugi's heart flutter if it still had a beat to it. A tan hand reached toward Yuugi's pale one as Yami linked their fingers together. "Just as you always look adorable my little one."

Yuugi stuck out his tongue at the nickname before going back to his food. He continued his meal as Yami held onto his one hand and he ate with the other one. The day was only beginning for the two and it was nearly time for them to get to work ruling over the city.

* * *

It had only been two hours after breakfast and the two rulers of Vampire City were swamped with paper work. It was piled up on Yami's desk, so Yami was looking over all the reports that had come in, while Yuugi was lounged on the couch using his laptop. Yami preferred paper over laptops, so everything was submitted to him by paper and normally Yuugi would later transfer it onto a laptop by his scanner. The office had been upgraded since Yuugi became co-ruler and Yami was still getting used to the changes, but he had to admit that some things ran more smoothly with Yuugi around.

"Honey, do you have the paper work for the new citizens?" Yami asked as he looked around his desk. They had three new families who were applying to get into the city. Two of the families wanted to come live with family that was already here, while one family was new and as most humans wanted to start their life over.

"Yeah, I was looking up housing for that one family. The mother is a single parent with two kids so I want to make sure we have a place for her." Yuugi said as he got up from the couch and approached the desk. He placed the laptop in front of Yami so he could see a map of the city. "We have plenty of housing in the human only area and a few houses in the human/vampire area. I've found a few houses with other children nearby, but I need your approval before we placed a house off the market." Often times when humans would come to the city they sometimes developed into larger families, so they would apply for a new house. So when new citizens came in Yami had to take a house off the market so that family would have a place to live.

Yami looked over the human area and saw one of the houses wasn't far from one of the human schools. They may not offer colleges for humans, but they did offer elementary, middle, and high school education for humans. Vampire children normally were home schooled by their parents since they were trapped in the body of a child, but Yami offered vampire children tutoring here in the palace where was run by Seth and Kisara until the child no longer wishes to be in school.

"I think this house might be good for them." Yami pointed to the place and made note of where it was. "I'll put in word that the house is no longer on the market, so they may move in if they wish. However make note of a few houses in the vampire/human area in case she wants to live over there."

Yuugi agreed and went back to his place and make the notes on the file that belonged to the family. He then gathered all the files he had and gave them back to Yami. "Anything else you wish me to help with?"

"I think I can cover most of this. A lot of it is monthly reports that just need me to look over, so you can go if you wish." Yami told him, since most of the stuff on his desk just needs his signature. "I'm sure you're dying to go check on the shop."

"I'm not dying to go check on the shop, but I do need to make sure Taylor opened it up today." After the war Taylor, Ethan, and Jason took care of the shop while Yuugi was getting used to being a vampire. Once it was safe to allow Yuugi back into the public, the newly turned vampire realized that he needed to be with Yami more and help the King rule the city then running a shop. The shop had become his passion, but he was married to the King and had new responsibilities to tend to.

There were times when Yami told him not to worry, because he had been ruling the city on his own for thousands of years, but to Yuugi it just didn't feel right. So after a lot of talk they all sat down as a family and figured out what to do without giving up on the shop. Taylor, Ethan, and Jason all agreed to take turns dealing with the shop during the week, so Yuugi could be with Yami. Taylor, Ethan, and Jason needed to get out of the palace more and have some form of a job even if their father gave them monthly allowances. Yuugi was allowed to visit and work in the shop still but he didn't have to be there all the time to run it. The shop was only opened during the week, so the three boys and Yuugi didn't have to worry about their weekend being all about working.

As Yuugi closed up his laptop and started to leave the room, Yami called him back to say one more thing. "You're wearing it aren't you?"

The younger vampire rolled his eyes and turned to face his husband. He pulled a locket out from under his shirt and showed it to him. "I never leave home without it dear, so don't worry." He blew Yami a kiss and smile at him. "I'll be back to pull you away from work for lunch."

"Love you too." Yami called out as Yuugi left the office closing the door behind him.

* * *

Yuugi took a quick trip to his and Yami's share bedroom to put away his laptop before heading to the front doors of the palace. As he passed by the main guards at the gate he waved at them while they bowed to him. There was no need to be in a hurry since he trusted the boys, so Yuugi calmly walked through town at a slower pace which never felt weird to him even after becoming a vampire. When he walked at a human pace he got to enjoy the sights and sounds of people and cars in the street. It was something he would never get tired of.

As he took his walk through the downtown area all the people would wave to him and bid him a good day. While Yuugi would just smile and wave back. Times like these always gave him time to think and that day his thoughts went down to his locket that was around his neck. Normally Yuugi would forget he was even wearing it until Yami would ask him if he was wearing it. Most of the time he wore it out from under his shirt, but that morning he put his shirt on after putting the necklace on and he forgot to pull it out from under.

The reason for Yami's worry was normal. The locket was no ordinary locket, but only he, Yami, the children, and the council knew about that. Five years after the war once the city was running smoothly again, Yami and Yuugi sat down to discuss what they were to do with the shadows still trapped in Yami's sword. They would grow restless with time and Yami did not wish to anger them more than they already were from the war. So a decision was made and Yuugi agreed to continue to play guardian. A new necklace was formed since his rose necklace had been broken, but this one was different. Yami got the best jeweler in town to make a locket about five inches big made out of pure gold in the shape of an upside down pyramid. In the center of the pyramid was the eye of Horus with a black jewel in the middle, which would house the shadows. The locket would open up and inside Yuugi had put a picture of him and his husband on their wedding day. After Yami got the necklace he pulled the shadows from their resting place and forced them into their new home.

Yuugi remembered watching Yami work his own magic to lock the shadows in the necklace and it hadn't been pretty since the shadows were not happy. However for some reason they calmed down once Yuugi put the necklace around his neck. Yami figured it was because Yuugi was so pure of heart that the shadows took a liking to him. Now Yuugi wasn't one to use magic, but he did allow Yami to teach him how to control the shadows since they would respond to him if he was upset or hurt. The last thing either of them needed was the shadows to lash out at someone who may have not meant to hurt or upset Yuugi.

There were times when the shadows were sometimes sweet to Yuugi. He remembered one time was after his dog died the one Yami had gotten him before the war. The dog had only been about eight years old before he ended up with cancer and died. That day had upset Yuugi so much that he was surprised and shocked when the shadows responded to him by take the shape of a dog in front of him. It helped ease the pain and it also helped Yuugi make the decision to not get another dog. He had family that would live on forever with him and he didn't want to get another dog for it to die later on.

Often times when Yuugi was feeling lonely and didn't have no one to keep him company he would let the shadows take on the shape of that dog just so he could remember the good times he had with his dog. He didn't do it all the time, because he knew the dangerous of letting the shadows have too much freedom, but they seemed to like him so he wasn't too worried.

As he was lost in his memories Yuugi nearly missed the shop until he was pulled from his thoughts by the call of his name. He turned to see Ethan outside the shop sweeping. "Daydreaming again?"

Yuugi blushed and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, it's just so peaceful and sunny outside I couldn't help but let my mind wander."

"Well Taylor is inside working the shop. I'm just here until Jason comes by so we can hang out together." Ethan explained as he opened the shop door for Yuugi.

"Oh I'm sure he is not happy about that," Yuugi let out a laugh as he walked in with Ethan. They found Taylor with his head on the desk and he looked to be asleep.

Ethan went up behind him and gave him a good whack upside the head, which cause Taylor to sit up quickly. "No sleeping on the job, the boss is here." He scowled while going upstairs to put the broom away.

Taylor grumbled under his breath about spouse abuse before turning to Yuugi with a grin. "Uh hey Yuugi, I wasn't sleeping on the job I promise."

"Yeah sure you weren't," Yuugi said with a chuckle. "I'm surprised you even remembered to open the shop today."

"I was the one who had to remind him," Ethan said as he came back downstairs. "I'll probably come back an hour before closing and you better be working." He kissed his partner before heading out the door to wait on Jason.

Yuugi lean against the desk. "So I take it the morning has been slow?"

"You have no idea! This place doesn't ever get any costumers until after lunch." The older vampire sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I swear we need to change the hours."

"There are those who are early birds, so I think our hours work just fine. It means we get done with the day quicker and have the whole afternoon to do whatever." Yuugi liked working during the day, but he could understand Taylor who had been lazy most of his life not wanting to be stuck in the shop half the day. "Do we have any messages?"

Taylor reached into a drawer on the desk and pulled out a folder. "There were a few calls from vampires who want an item looked at but they can't go out into the light. I figured we will set up an appointment to meet with them here or at their house later this week."

Yuugi nodded, it was natural that some vampires couldn't go into the light and then there were those who just didn't like the light. This was why they offered appointments with everyone if they couldn't come during work hours. Yuugi handled most of those, but Yami sometimes tagged along so he knew Yuugi was safe and Yami was pretty good at appraising things. They did everything they could to have business from everyone and that included even delivering items bought online from the shop. Since they opened up the shop to having a website the mail company had been getting many packages to be delivered.

"I'll take these back to the palace when I return to the palace to have lunch with Yami," Yuugi explained as he laid them to the side on the desk so he wouldn't forget them. "I know we just had breakfast, but do you need anything while I'm here?"

"I could seriously go for some coffee at the shop down the street. They make the best coffee blood drinks around." Taylor replied he really needed something to wake him up more.

Yuugi made note of the drink Taylor wanted, before he headed back out of the shop heading toward the coffee shop. It was just another normal day in his life as co-ruler of vampire city.

* * *

**Sakura:** Chapter two is finished! I'm glad this story is rolling along so well and I just hope I can make it as long as or longer than Vampire City. Few things I want to touch up on about this chapter. The dog Yuugi mentioned was talked about in chapter 17 of vampire city. He got it right before Yami proposed and Jiro attacked Yuugi in the shop. I forgot to mention the little dog again in vampire city and I figured he wouldn't be mentioned much in this story so I took him out.

I didn't want to add the millennium items in this story, so I decided to go with a locket in the shape of the millennium puzzle. Yuugi is once again the guardian of the shadows for Yami. Yuugi may be a vampire now, but Yami will always worry over his husband and the shadows add better protection.

If you have any more questions please do not be afraid to ask. I'll try to answer without giving the story away.

**Yumi: **Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I seriously want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing for this story. Those reviews are what drive me to keep stories like these going. On another note, I've been asked a couple times about whether Mpreg will be in this story. I have answered those who have asked, but I just wanted everyone to know encase you were wondering if it will happen. No Mpreg in this story! I'm not trying to be mean, I just want to make it clear, since I never planned it for this story and I'm not planning on writing it. I do however have other stories that do have Mpreg if you wish to read them and maybe some future stories with it in there. Other than that please enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**KING OF VAMPIRE CITY**

As a ruler it's my job to protect these people, but family is always number one

* * *

There are some people in this world that would die just to be made King or Queen. The same could have been said for Yami, King of Vampire City, but he was one of the lucky few who were born into royalty. Day in and day out people follow his orders and do what they can to please their King. However after five thousand years of being ruler, it can get pretty old. This was the way it was made to be when he made the choice to become a vampire. Some would say it was time to throw in the towel and give up the throne to someone else, but Yami knew the city and its people like the back of his hand. He would do anything for his people and make sure they were safe from his kind. The crimes he did in the past would forever haunt him, but never again would his people suffer.

The few who keep him going were a select bunch of people from his past, while some were from his present. His loyal council, guards, and friends took the long journey with him from Ancient Egypt to their present day in vampire city. There were his loving children who slowly joined the family every few hundred years and always remained by his side. The final person and someone a King always needs around was a partner or mate in the term for vampires. Yami had his mate in the form of a petite adult by the name of Yuugi Mutou.

It was never Yami's intention to fall in love or ever get married. He had everyone he could ever need at his side, but then Yuugi dropped into his life. The King was never truly one to believe in fate, but on that day when their eyes met, Yami couldn't help but believe in fate. It was like the gods were finally pleased with how he turned his life around and delivered him an angel.

Yuugi bought joy and life to the palace and the King. He worked well with the people and offered a kind face to those who feared their King. If anyone were to ask him if he ever regretted changing Yuugi into a vampire, he may have said yes, but another part of him was thankfully that Yuugi was a vampire. The King would have eternity with the one who he truly loved and who loved him in return.

* * *

All morning it had been nothing but paper work and errands for Yami. So when his husband returned to the palace to pull him away for lunch mid-day it had been a welcomed relief. Between reports being filed, jobs to be given out, new citizens entering the city, and let's not forget planning the afternoon meetings with his council, Yami was about ready to sleep the day away. Vampire may have more energy than humans, but at some point they also need sleep. The most sleep Yami ever went without was three days and that was after the war ended. Yuugi had to force Yami to go to bed or risk hurting himself or others. That was another thing about Yuugi that Yami loved, Yuugi kept him on track and looked out for his well-being.

At that moment he was being led over to a blanket that had been set up by the fountain in the garden. It was a garden open to all those in the palace, but was mostly used by the royal family. Yuugi had been the one to finally fix it up after Yami neglected it for years. It was the one place they liked to go to spend some alone time together and it was also the place they got married.

The garden held so many happy memories for them that it was no surprise that Yugi liked to have picnics out in the garden on nice days. Yami was just glad to spend time away from his office with his husband. "So what are we having this fine afternoon?" Yami asked once he sat down on the blanket beside Yuugi.

"I packed us a couple of sandwiches, fruits, and some rather delicious blood for drinks." Yugi told him as he set up the food. He still enjoyed simple human food even though his diet had changed mainly to blood. Yami simply ate human food to make Yuugi and his children feel better about still eating it. Some habits were hard to break, but it wasn't as if the food tasted horrible, it just wasn't as appetizing as it used to be.

Yami took a grape off his plate and ate it, loving the feel of the juice running down his throat as he crushed the fruit between his teeth. Fruits of all kinds had been his favorite when he was human and the king still found himself sometimes craving some. "Did you make all this yourself?" He asked once he swallowed.

Yuugi nodded as he finished chewing up the bite of sandwich he just ate. "I let the cooks know I could handle making a picnic for the two of us. They were busy anyway preparing lunch for the rest of the palace." He then turned around and asked his own question. "What have Chan and Kotaro been up to?"

Yami shrugged. "I haven't seen them since this morning. Did you not pass them when you returned to the palace?"

"No, but I'm sure they are just playing around somewhere." Yuugi often like to know where the smaller children were even if they could look after themselves. It was just a natural parental instinct kicking in and it was nice having adopted children he could look after. Yami and he couldn't have children biological being both male and vampires, but they made it work with the adopted children they had. Although some part of Yugi wished to adopt more unwanted children.

"Hey," Yami said as he lifted Yuugi's chin. "Why the long face?"

Yuugi shook his head and smiled at his partner. "It's nothing…"

One of Yami's eyebrow rose at those words. "Oh no you don't I know something is wrong."

The King of the vampire city was a stubborn man and he would hound Yuugi down until he talked, so Yuugi decided to get it over with. "I've found myself thinking more about us having more children lately." He looked up at Yami with slight sadness in his eyes. "I love the children we have now, but some part of me wants the two of us to adopt more."

"Oh honey, I understand that feeling too, but there is not much we can do." Yami abandon his meal in favorite of pulling his husband into his arms. Adoption was available to vampires, but there were rules that had to be follow. No vampire households were allowed to adopt human children. Vampire and human household could adopt a human child since there was at least one human in the family. Human children however were not available in the city for adoption. Any human child left abandon in the city would be left to other family or sent out of the city to an adoption agency. So humans who wished to adopt had to leave the city and then get citizenship for the child when they returned. Vampires on the other hand could only adopt vampire child, but they were rare. Most of the children who were vampires had parents because they were turned by them.

There were also unwritten rules about changing children at a young age and there was the written rule about changing any human against their will. So the only way for Yuugi and Yami to adopt a child would be for an ill child to come to the city and be given up for adoption. Yami refused to turn a healthy child. Then they would have to find out if any other vampires wish to adopt before Yuugi and Yami would be able to adopt. They already have six children including Jason's new wife Raven so it was unfair for them to be first for a vampire child when other vampires may want a child.

There were so many obstacles in front of them, that Yami believed they probably wouldn't have a chance to adopt a new child for probably another hundred years. The only reason Yami had so many children to begin with was because they had requested him to be their father. Yami had changed them so he developed a bond with them that couldn't be broken.

Yuugi simply smiled up at Yami glad to have such a supportive husband. "I'm sorry for bringing this all up again. It's just one of those things I think about now and again."

"It's alright Yuugi, you have every right to feel this way. Hopefully one day we will be able to adopt another child." Yami kissed the top of Yuugi's head before pulling away to get back to his meal. "Let's get back to our meal, so it doesn't go to waste."

Yuugi agreed with him and took a bite out of his sandwich. They didn't have much time before both would need to get back to their duties for the day. "Hey honey, do you think this weekend we could go out on the town just the two of us?"

"I'm guessing you want a date?" Yami asked to which Yuugi nodded. "I don't see why not. I may need to move some meetings around, but I would be happy to go out on a date with you."

"It's just been a while since we went out just the two of us, so I figured it would be nice to do something together this weekend." Yuugi explained himself, honestly the last few weeks had been slightly stressful and they both needed a break.

"Then it's a date," Yami then chuckled. "You know the kids told me once they think it's strange that we still go on dates."

Yuugi laughed at that. "Every married couple should still have dates. It doesn't have to be anything special just to spend time with your spouse." He then stole one of Yami's grapes. "I think it keeps the relationship interesting since you never know what you might be doing until you plan it."

"Well I don't think you could ever bore me," Yami stole a kiss from Yuugi, which caused his husband to blush a nice bright red color.

The rest of their meal was spent in mostly silence as they focused on eating the rest of their food. They enjoyed the warm sun that was beating down on them and just the presence of each other. Afternoons like this were just a normal day for the King and his mate.

* * *

In his office again Yami set to work finishing the files on the new families that were to arrive in a few days. He had already found decent homes to take off the market if the families chose those locations, but nothing would be final until he met with them. That was considered the easy part of his job.

The hardest part of his job was keeping everything in order. Reports were always coming into his office to let him know what was happening around the city. The main focus was to provide a safe city for people to come and live and raise families. Crime was probably less likely in this city than others outside in the human's world, but it could still happen. Sometimes it was simply trouble making teenagers out having fun late at night. There are even fights at bars thanks to drunks. The worst that did not happen often in the city was a rouge vampire on the loose. Yami tried to keep all newborn vampires under careful watch, but as seen with this past war, there are some things that can slip under the watchful of eyes.

Once the war was over, Yami made moves to have better security of newborn vampires and of the vampire and human side of town. He did not want another rebellion happening to cause humans to worry about living in the city. This place was supposed to be peaceful city and a place where those going through hard times could start over.

As Yami was writing some notes on the reports that Bakura had delivered to him. He heard to the door to his office open and close. When he looked up however, he found no one was there. It was strange that someone would just open and close his door for no reason and if it had been someone who needed to see him they would have knocked first. His family normally never knocked, so he wondered if one of the kids had thought about coming to see him but thought against it. The king let it go for the time being as he got back to work.

"Hey daddy…" Yami nearly jumped out of his seat as he looked to his left to see Chan standing beside him with a smile on her face. He hadn't even noticed the little girl come up beside him.

"Chan, you startle me." He gently lifted the girl up and sat her on his lap. "What do you need honey?"

Chan turned her head to look up at her father. "I was playing with Kotaro, but he left with Yuugi to go to the shop to see Taylor. Since everyone was gone I thought I would come help you with your work."

Yami smiled at that and kissed the little girl on the head. "I think I have everything covered here, but maybe there is something you can help me with." He pulled out a blank piece of paper and some crayons he kept in his office for his daughter. "Why don't you draw me something new to put on my desk? The last picture you drew me is getting old and I want something new to show everyone."

The little girl's eyes lit up at that as she took the supplies and jumped down from her father's lap to go sit in front of the desk where he could see her. She got to work as soon as she set down to make a pretty picture for her father. "I'm going to make a way better picture than last time." She announced as she started to draw shapes.

While she was working Yami took a minute to just look at his daughter. Sometimes it was hard to believe that his daughter was over one hundred and twenty six years old. Before long she would be a two hundred year old vampire who looks every bit of a six year old. When he had first met Chan as a sickly little girl something pulled at his heart to help her and when her mother abandoned her once Chan was turned, he would allow no one else to adopt her. She and Kotaro were the two children that he by passed every other vampire that wished to adopt a child just to have them in his family.

Chan at first had been a lively little six year old vampire still trying to learn things and Yami was more than happy to teach her. Once her brain developed into that of a twenty year old he let her start to explore the city on her own and with her brothers. Sometimes Yami did regret turning her, because her and every other child her age or a little over, would probably never know what it is to fall in love and probably have a family. No matter how old they got, they were trapped in a body that would keep them from developing feelings for someone special.

Yami remembered one time before Yuugi had come around he had taken Chan into the city for a little shopping trip. She had seen a human boy about her age and she started to act shy when the boy talked to her. When she and Yami left the store, Yami had asked her if she liked the boy. Chan had responded that he was cute, but she didn't feel anything. It was then that Yami knew that it was her body that was holding her back. She couldn't develop into a proper woman.

Some children hate the idea of growing up, but when you're like Chan, Kotaro, and other vampire children it can be a horrible nightmare. This why Yami preferred parents of children to only change their children when they are older and the child can decide if they want to be a vampire or the child is at risk of dying and that child doesn't wish to die. There were no laws that stopped human parents from having their children changed if they are healthy, but often enough parents do wait for their children to be older.

It may be a struggle for vampire children to be viewed as normal, but some part of Yami could never regret changing Chan because it gave him a daughter and he would forever have a baby girl to spoil and love. Chan and Kotaro always had this carefree aura around them that seemed to rub off on the rest of the people in the palace. Life was never boring with them around or any of his children for that matter.

* * *

Afternoon meetings were the closing of the King's day as he sat on his throne and listened to his council discussed changes that could be made to the city to make it safer and to keep up with technology changes outside their city. Everyday something new could be used to make things run faster or improve business. Yami was a five thousand year old king who typical preferred things to be done the old fashion way. He normally did not see eye to eye with his council, but marriage can clearly change a guy. Yuugi, who at first was shy with his council, opened up a few years after their marriage when he realized that his opinion was valued just as much as anyone else.

The palace had been improved greatly thanks to Yuugi ideas and sometimes Yami let Yuugi lead the meetings so he could sit back and relax. At that moment Yami was sitting back and listening to some changes Bakura and Marik wanted to make to the local stations. While crime was down, some changes needed to be made to ensure police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived on the scenes quickly. One of the suggestions was better cell phone towers to pinpoint cell phone calls better.

It seemed like a good idea, but a lot of work was going to be needed to put those towers up and it would be up to Yuugi and Yami to figure out the best place for them. Things like that were simple, but others things in meetings could be difficult. Sometimes certain vampires in the vampire side of town want some laws changed to give the humans less freedom when most vampires are out at night. Complaints like these are always submitted to the palace and discusses throughout the meetings. None of the laws can be overlooked in order to keep the humans safe, but there are moments when Yami can provide small changes to keep the vampires happy for a while. Mahado was in charge of presenting these complaints in the meeting. He was never happy with the job since some of the other members seem to lash out at him for just being the messenger.

A complaint this week was the protest of a new night club for humans opening up since the one club for humans was overcrowding. There were complaints from the night vampires about too many humans being out at night and they were just asking to be attacked.

"They need to get off their high horse and stop complaining," Bakura blurted out. "They say humans are just asking to be attacked, but they won't be if those vampires know what is good for them."

"However they do have a point," Mahado pointed out. "There are certain areas for vampires because they cannot handle being around humans. If we open more night locations for humans, they will be out more and at risk."

As the two started to bicker back and forth, Yuugi slapped his hands down on the table getting everyone's attention. "There are two sides to this story and your bickering isn't helping," He paused to make sure there were no interruptions before he continued. "The humans have every right to be out at night as much as the vampires. This new club is so the old one isn't going against its fire code. We will just have to make sure the location of the new club is away from the vampire clubs and have a little more security at night."

The council all looked at each other before agreeing with their second king. Yami was proud of his husband and knew he had made the right choice in picking his mate. Since the meeting was drawing to a close anyway, Yami decided ending a few minutes early would not hurt anyone.

"We will save any further discussions for tomorrow, this meeting is adjured," Yami said as he stood up and gently took Yuugi's hand. The two of them left the room as the council stood and bowed to them. Once they were out in the halls, Yami quicken his speed until they found a seclude area with no one around.

Yami quickly pinned his husband to the wall and kissed him. Yuugi welcomed the kiss as he wrapped his arms around his partner's neck. They stood like that wrapped up in their own little world, until they broke apart a few minutes later.

"I love it when you take charge," Yami whispered as he moved to nimble on Yuugi's ear.

Yuugi couldn't help let out a moan at the treatment. "Well someone had to, since you weren't doing anything." He teased moved his hands up into Yami's hair. He brought Yami's head back to facing him and then pulled him in for another kiss. Years together and there were still moments where Yugi and Yami just couldn't keep their hands off each other.

When they pulled apart for a second time, Yami picked him husband up bridal style and headed down the hall toward their chambers. "We still have a while before meeting the children for supper," He informed his lover, already figured out how to spend the next few hours.

Yuugi chuckled as he seemed to read Yami's mind. "I like the way you think, however…" He startled Yami by easily hopping out of his husband's arms and taking off down the hall. "You'll have to catch me first."

A smirk formed on the King's face as he gave chase to catch his little lover.

* * *

**Sakura**: In vampire city I didn't really have a chapter all about Yami's day so I decided to add it here. I'm going to try and make some chapters about Yami and not just about Yuugi. There will be lots of chapters about both Yuugi and Yami since I love putting those two together.

**Yumi**: Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **As always thanks so much for the reviews! I got a few requests of some things readers would like to see in this story, so I will try and fit those in since I loved all the ideas. I'll let everyone know at the beginning of a chapter if anyone's else ideas are being used, but for this chapter everything here was my idea. Other than that I have nothing else to say, but I think everyone will really like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**The Night Life**

Who said vampires can't have fun

* * *

The week seemed to fly by faster when Yuugi was not paying attention. He had been so busy all week that before long it was Friday night and he was just a few hours away from a wonderful day with his husband. Yuugi and Yami had everything sorted out at the palace so they could spend all of Saturday together in which no one was to bug them unless it was an emergency. How they would spend the day had not been planned out, because they decided they were just going to see what the city had to offer. It really depended on what they felt like doing and they would make the choices together like any other married couple.

At the moment it was after dinner and Yuugi was headed to his and Yami's room. Yami would join him later, since he was currently in the kitchen seeing the damage two of the chefs did. They had hired some new chefs to replace some old ones who were ready to retire from the palace, but the two had started a grease fire while cooking dinner that night. Smoke had come into the dining room startling the royal family and the smell had not been pleasant either. The fire was not horrible, but it did some damage to one of the many stoves and items around that stove. It would be a quick fix, but as always paperwork would be needed of Yami to get the repairs in motion.

While walking down the hall, Yuugi knew Yami was going to be a while, so he took a detour down a different hallway. It mostly held bedrooms to the council and their families, but there was one bedroom that belonged to two people who were not part of the council yet. He approached the door he was looking for and knocked two times. It did not take long for a certain blond to open the door.

Yuugi grinned up at his best friend. "Mind if I come in, Joey?"

Joey grin right back at him and dragged his best bud into the room. "Not at all, did you finally get some time to come visit?" He teased he knew Yuugi was busy with being co-ruler and all.

"It's been busy that's for sure…" Yuugi sat himself on the end of Joey and Seto's bed. "Did you hear about the kitchen fire?"

"Yeah, Seto and I had just gotten to the palace when we heard some servants gossiping about it."

"Well Yami's dealing with the damage so I thought I would stop by if you two were still up." Yuugi explained as he looked around the room. "Where is Seto by the way?"

Joey jerked his thumb toward the open balcony doors. "Once we got back he got a call from Mokuba. Ever since we moved here five years ago he and Mokuba always have to talk every night."

"Well that is his baby brother and it's hard that Seto can't visit him. You are the same way with Serenity," Yuugi nudged his friend in the ribs. "By the way how are those two holding up being married?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you!" Joey's face lit up like he had some good news. "We got a call from them yesterday and they found out Serenity is pregnant again."

Yuugi's jaw nearly dropped. "Really..? This is what their third kid?"

Joey nodded. "Their daughter Serena just turned eight this year and their son Jamie just turned five. Now they will either have another boy or girl or even twins." He sounded really excited about being an uncle again and Yuugi couldn't blame him.

It was still sometimes hard to believe that over five years ago Joey and Seto made the choice to come to Vampire city to live permanently. Joey had wanted to come sooner not long after Yuugi had been changed, but they had to get things in Domino settled first. Seto had to wait for Mokuba to graduate both high school and college so he could take over the company and the portal. Mokuba had always wanted to run Kaiba Corp, but he wanted to go to college first and get a degree in business. It had been a shocker when Serenity and Mokuba started to date in college and right after college they got married. It seemed under Seto and Joey's noses that while they live together, their siblings had gotten close. It did not matter to them so long as the two were happy.

Once out of college Seto and Mokuba spent years getting the company ready for Mokuba to take over since there was a lot that was needed. Then there was the portal that came along with the Kaiba name. Seto wouldn't be able to manage it with being in the city already, but with Serenity by Mokuba's side the job would not be hard. It happened just as Seto and Joey were planning to make the move when Serenity got pregnant with Serena. The two decided to stay a few more years so they could get to know their little niece.

When Serena was turning three and Serenity was pregnant once more, Seto and Joey got their paper work filled out to become citizens in vampire city. It was tough for Joey to move since his sister was pregnant again, but he knew if they didn't make the move soon, he would never get there. Two months after moving to the city, they asked both Yuugi and Yami to change them into vampires. It had shocked both the king and his mate that the two had moved to the city because they had made the choice to become vampires. Yuugi had a long talk with Joey about it and he found out that Joey wanted to remain forever at his best friend's side. Joey had always seen Yuugi as a baby brother along with his sister and Mokuba. He never wanted Yuugi to lose the one person who was there for him like his grandfather was and Yami was now.

It had been hard for both Seto and Joey to go through the change, but they made it through and now five years later they were working their way onto Yami's council. Seto was mostly the one trying because he was used to running a company and he could help out in the technology department of things. Yami had liked the idea of new faces being on the council so he had some of his council helping the two out, mostly Seth and Mahado. Overall the new changes were going well and it really helped Yuugi out having his best friend living in the city even though he had made new friends while living there.

The two on the bed looked up when Seto walked back into the room still talking on his phone. He walked straight up to Joey and handed it over to him. "Serenity wants to speak with you."

"I'll be right back," Joey told Yuugi as he snatched the phone up and quickly started to talk to his sister. He got up and started to walk toward the balcony so he could have some privacy.

Seto walked over the desk in the room and opened his laptop. "It's been a while since we've see you…" He pointed out not looking at Yuugi.

"Yeah, Yami and I have been busy this week. Reports are coming in from every department, so once we get those out of the way we'll probably have an easier week next week." Yuugi told him. "So how is Mokuba doing?"

"He is doing well and he told me the company is running smoothly. I can tell by his voice that he is worried about Serenity and the new baby, but he never says anything about it."

"I think any father would worry." They both fell into silence until Yuugi thought of something else. "Mokuba's thirty seventh birthday is coming up, right?"

Seto groaned at that and Yuugi had to hide a laugh. "Yes and he wants to bring the children for a visit. It's feels strange sometimes that he is catching up to the age when Joey and I were changed."

Yuugi couldn't understand that feeling, but it was kind of funny. Seto and Joey had both been thirty nine when they became vampires and here was Mokuba and Serenity the baby siblings catching up to their older siblings in age. "Hey, it's not as bad as raising children who are over hundreds of years old."

"I think you have me beat there." Seto agreed before he started typing on his laptop. They fell back into silence again until Joey walked back into the room after his phone call. The three friends talked it up for a while with promises to hang out more, until Yami figured out where Yuugi had gone and came to fetch him for the night.

* * *

The morning of Saturday, Yuugi was gently woken up by one hand running up and down his arm and another caress his face. He blinked sleep away and then carefully opened his eyes to meet the face of his husband. A smile crossed his face as Yami lean down to give him a good morning kiss. The sun was shining outside letting Yuugi know it was early in the morning and Saturday had finally arrived.

"Good morning to you too…" Yuugi said before letting out a yawn. They had stayed up late last night and didn't get to bed until around two in the morning. As much as Yuugi liked getting his sleep he wasn't too disappointed in staying up late.

Yami chuckled and pulled Yuugi close so that he was almost lying on top of Yami. "It sounds like someone still needs some sleep. I didn't wear you out too bad last night did I?"

Yuugi shook his head. "No, you were great. I just need a shower to wake up more." He let out another yawn and before he could lay his head back down, Yami sat up. "Oh no, you don't…"

The King picked his mate up and climbed out of bed, heading straight for their bathroom. Yuugi protested against getting out of bed, "Come on five more minutes…" Yami only chuckled at him and sat him in the tub, which was stone cold.

Before Yuugi could get out Yami got in behind him and reached over the younger to turn on the water. At first it was cold and then it slowly started to turn warm, allowing Yuugi to relax. They sat in silence waiting on the water to fill up the tub and then Yami started to wash Yuugi's hair.

"So why the special treatment…" Yuugi teased since normally Yami would shower before Yuugi was even up.

"Well today is ours to spend how we like, so I think it's only right that we have a nice bath together." Yami explained as he rinsed the shampoo from Yuugi's hair. Once the suds were gone, things got a little heated as the king placed kisses down his lover's neck.

Yuugi tried to move away but the arms around his waist kept him in place. "Yami…" He bit his lip to hide a moan when Yami hit a more sensitive spot. "Last night should have been enough…"

"I was just kissing you I think you're thinking of something else dear…" Yami teased right back, but stopped what he was doing. He grabbed the soap next and started to wash his lover's skin.

Yuugi rolled his eyes and knew his husband was just trying to get lucky. Ever since their wedding night Yami hadn't been able to go but a few nights without keeping his hands off of Yuugi. Twenty years of marriage and at least things hadn't gotten boring in the bedroom. The only problem, vampires did not tire easy and there were just some days when Yuugi wasn't feeling like it. After last night Yuugi just wanted to enjoy the day with his husband.

"You still with me honey?" Yami questioned since Yuugi was rather still and it wasn't uncommon for his mate to fall asleep in the bath. Yuugi nodded and turned so he was facing Yami. "Any plans for today?"

Yami shook his head and kissed his partner's forehead. "I'm open for anything, is there something you want to do today?"

Yuugi grinned up at his lover. "There is one thing…"

* * *

There were many things that Yami would do to make sure his partner was happy, but there were certain things that made Yami question that. The day had been going great with the two of them just spending the day out on the town until dinner when they went back to the palace to have supper with the children. After that Yuugi dragged Yami back to their bedroom where he picked out certain clothes for the two of them. Once they were dressed and ready to go, Yuugi finally told him where they were going. Just the idea of going to such a place made Yami cringe. He was beginning to wonder why he even allowed them in the city, but he knew some of his people wouldn't be happy without a few of them.

So what was the one place the King was so hell bent on not going to? Well the simple answer to that is a night club. A vampires only club with lights, music, and alcohol. He in all his years of living Yami had never been in one, but he did oversee the building of the establishments so they were safe for his people. He even made sure there was good security so no underage drinkers could get in and no drunks could mess with the public. Even vampire children who were well over hundreds of years old like Chan, Kotaro, and even Jason were not allowed, because their bodies could not handle alcohol well. Only Jason was allowed a drink or two at parties under Yami's watchful eye at the palace.

However after dating for years and now being married for twenty, Yuugi felt it was time Yami joined the night life of the city. Yuugi had told Yami they weren't bad, but the King did not want to hear it. The younger had been to one with Taylor and Ethan and a few when he was still human and lived in Egypt. They were enjoyable so long as one didn't get drunk to where you don't remember anything. It was something that Yuugi found as fun and he wanted Yami to join him this time around.

As the two walked down the street around ten o-clock well after the sun had set, Yuugi tried to cheer Yami up. The other was not looking forward to going to the club and Yuugi didn't want Yami to be upset the whole night.

"Listen it will be fun, I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable." Yuugi said as he snuggled into Yami's side. They had walked from the palace to the downtown area since Yami still had a fear of cars. Vampires of all kinds were out, so it was clearly different than the day time. The few humans who were probably out were either headed home or at their own club or bar hanging out. "Although I don't see why those three had to tag along…" Yuugi finished as he took a quick glance behind him.

Behind the two walking at a slow pace behind them were three of Yami's most trusted guards. Now it's probably a mystery why a vampire King would need bodyguards, well he doesn't really, but they had been his guards since he was a baby. They were with him through everything and even after Yami became a vampire, they choose to become vampires as well so they could always serve their King. In the palace they did simple task and trained some of the new guards, who guard the palace, but other than that they were just friends of the King. It was only after the war within the city, when they started to follow their King when he left the palace on important business. Just like everyone else they worried for his safety along with that of the royal family. Now Yuugi never caught them following him, but he was sure they did even after he told them he would be fine going downtown during the day. Yuugi was even certain they had followed him and Yami all day while they were on their day long date. It was hard telling them, they were no longer needed when it was their job to protect and serve their King. Yami often just let them do as they liked because they were his friends. However given that it was night and more vampires were out on the town, they followed the royal couple at a closer range and did not seem to care that the two could see them.

These three vampires of the royal guard were none other than Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos. Yuugi had met them long before the war, but they weren't often seen around the palace. They were good at their jobs and only a couple times had Yuugi talked to them. Timaeus was the shortest of the three about the same height as his King, but was the second oldest of the group. He had raven hair that fell to his shoulders with light green bangs that framed his face much like the King, along with light green eyes. His right eye was shut with a scar across the front due to the war between humans and vampires back in Egypt. Unlike Yami, who still had an eye but had just lost sight in it, Timaeus lost his eye completely so a glass eye was put in place. Due to this, he kept it close so as not to scare some people or get weird looks. At the moment he was in blue jeans, a black muscle shirt, and sneakers.

Critias was the tallest and oldest of the group. He reminded Yuugi of a blond Seto and Seth with the same ice blue eyes. He wore blue jeans and a white button down shirt with boots. That only left Hermos who was in-between the height of Critias and Timaeus. He reminded Yuugi of his friend Joey, except he had brown hair and golden eyes. His eyes were also naturally golden and he was not a vampire who could change by bite. He wore black jeans and a auburn shirt with boots.

One look at them it would look like three guys just hanging out together for the night. No one who knew them would think they were soldiers to the palace looking out for their King and his mate, especially when Critias had a loving arm around Hermos and was teasing the youngest of the group. It had shocked Yuugi when he found out those two had been together since they were human when he first met them. They may have been big on doing their job, but that didn't stop them from falling in love. Timaeus on the other hand, had a wife back at that palace, which he had been with since Ancient Egypt. She was a petite little thing, who looked like she couldn't be any older than a teen, but she had been well over thirty years old when she was changed. Along with being petite she was also still extremely shy and only move around the palace with Timaeus at her side. It seemed the war back in Ancient Egypt left scars and memories she wished to forget and the small war only twenty years ago didn't help her.

"As far as I'm concerned they are not even here…" Yami spoke breaking Yuugi's attention from the three and back on his King. "Tonight is about you and me, so let's get this over with."

Yuugi wrapped his arms around his lover. "Oh don't be that way after a couple drinks and a few dances you will be having fun, besides…" He lowered his voice so only Yami could hear. "I think I have a few moves you might like."

"Then we should save them for the bedroom," Yami stated as they came upon the club that had a line out the door of people wanting to get in. The bouncer at the door was checking IDs and that would seem hard given most vampires were really old, but all vampires were given stating IDs the age they were changed. It was the easiest way to tell how old the vampires truly were so no children got inside.

"I guess we won't be getting in tonight…" Yuugi rolled his eyes at his husband and walked ahead of him toward the door, but did not let go of Yami's hand. As soon as the bouncer saw them he bowed his head.

"My King welcome, you may go right in…" He held open the door for them and Yuugi thanked him. Yami sighed and followed Yuugi inside, but not before letting the bouncer know the three behind him were with them. He was sure his guards would find a way in no problem, but he figured he would just make it easy.

As soon as they were inside Yami took note of how dark the club was, however that wasn't surprising because most of the vampires disliked bright lights like the sun. Vampires could easily find their way around the club, but if any humans were to come in here they would be lost. The only dim lights were at the bar, shining on the many bottles lining the back shelves and a few on the dance floor. There were tables all around the dance floor for those who wish to drink and eat something along with drinks being served at the bar.

Yuugi dragged his lover to a section of the club near the back that had booths, but they were sectioned off with velvet ropes and another bouncer. He bowed to the two and opened the rope up for them and their 'guests'. All the booths could hold at least twelve people and since the city didn't have many important people besides the royal family, these areas were mostly used for the royal family or large parties.

Yami never thought he would find himself here of all places, but he would endure it for the time being. He moved into the booth Yuugi lead him to and had to stop himself from laughing when his guards stood in front of the booth rather than sitting with him. They face the dance floor to give the King his privacy.

"So what do you think?" Yuugi asked as he looked up at Yami.

Yami shrugged. "It's not bad, but the music is a little loud." The music wasn't that bad given they were near the back of the club, but when he first walked in the sound hurt his ears. Vampires had excellent hearing and could hear some distance away. He was sure those who came here all the time were used to it but he sure wasn't.

"You'll get used to it, I was surprised by the sound too when I first came here." Yuugi kissed his partner and was more than happy to stay in the King's arms. "Thank you for coming to give it a try."

"Anything for you…" The King kissed Yuugi's head and looked up when Timaeus and Critias moved out of the way for a waitress who bowed to them.

"Welcome my Kings I will be your server tonight. May I get you anything to drink?"

Yuugi ordered for them since he had been there before and once she was gone, he got Critias and Hermos attention. "I'm sure Timaeus can keep an eye on us. You two can go do what you like."

At first they looked like they did not want to move, but after Yami gave them a glare, they hurried away. Timaeus would have stayed standing until Yami ordered him to have a seat and relax. He never liked to order friends around, but some people such as his guards needed it sometimes. Timaeus did have a seat across from them, but he continued to keep his eyes on the dance floor.

"What do you think of the place?" Yuugi asked the silent man hoping to have some form of conversation going. He was going to wait until after they got their drinks, before going for his attempt to get Yami on the dance floor.

"It's okay…" It was a quick and simple response, but Timaeus was just that type of man. The only time he was ever vocal was giving orders to younger guards or talking to his wife.

Since the conversation was going nowhere Yuugi turned to Yami and starting talking to his husband until their drinks arrived. Yuugi had ordered a strawberry daiquiri and Yami a bloody Mary with real blood and three non-alcoholic sodas for the three guards. Timaeus offered a small thank you and only took small sips of his drink.

Yuugi took a few drinks of his before holding it up to Yami and letting him try. Yami seem to have a better idea, as he took Yuugi's face in his hands and kissed him. A blush worked its way onto Yuugi's face as Yami was quick to deepen the kiss. He didn't seem to mind that others could see him or that Timaeus was right in front of them.

When they finally broke apart, Yuugi lightly smacked Yami's arm for the public display of affection. He loved Yami too, but making out should be done in private. So as punishment, Yuugi put their drinks aside and dragged Yami out of the booth. He informed Timaeus they would remain in his view, but they were going out on the dance floor and didn't want to be followed. The guard agreed to the terms, but he knew that was only because he knew Critias and Hermos were somewhere in the club.

Once out on the dance floor, Yuugi pulled Yami to one corner away from the heavy crowded area and started to sway his hips to the music. It was easy for Yuugi to be so open about dancing like that in front of people since he had done it before. However the most Yami had done is slow dance with Yuugi at the balls held at the palace. The King stood beside his partner not even sure what to do, since he wasn't used to the style of dancing.

Yuugi would have none of that as he moved Yami's hands to his waist and put his own hands on Yami's waist. He swayed to the music and tried to get his partner to do the same. It was a little aware at first, but Yami just need to loosen up.

"Just feel the beat and don't worry about others watching," Yuugi had to shout to him over the music as he moved against his partner. He was either going to get Yami moving or dance against a statue for most of the night.

Yami took a look around the club and saw how others were dancing, but he also saw how others were looking at his partner. A possessive side of the king seemed to awaken as Yami put his pride aside to attempt to dance with his partner. He moved with Yuugi, but also added his own touch, but moving his hands up and down Yuugi's sides causing the younger to shiver at the touch. Yuugi smirked as he moved his hands behind Yami's head and bought his lover down for another kiss.

The King may have been out of his comfort zone, but it meant so much to Yuugi that Yami was here with him tonight having a good time. They had forever together and it never hurt to try something new.

* * *

**Sakura: **Well another chapter down! The only thing I have to say is that for Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos I was going off pictures from the show about what they look like. They are never seen without their helmets so I had to guess on Timaeus's hair, but I didn't want him to look completely like Yami hair wise. I know some people type him looking like Yami, but I change him up a bit. As for Timaeus's wife, she will come up later… Oh and I'm sorry I keep teasing people, but there will be no lemons in this story. I personally haven't been good at writing them so I gave up a long time ago on ever writing them anymore.

**Yumi**: Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **Important news! I'm changing the day I update. I notice a lot of people tend to update on Fridays and I don't want my readers feeling over loaded with new chapters from other stories. I normally hate Mondays, but hopefully by updating my stories on Mondays I can make some people's days better. Plus this makes it easier on me since I'm always really busy on Fridays and nearly forget to update.

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**Chapter Five**

**Citizens**

The humans come and go as they please, but vampires are forever

* * *

A few months later and into the beginning of summer, it was supposed to be just another normal day at the palace with nice weather all around. However this particular morning was different as Yuugi was awaken at six in the morning, which was not his normal get up time. Yami was the one to wake him up and make sure he got out of bed. The younger sat up in the bed and glared at his King.

"Why the early wake up call?" Yuugi yawned as he stretched his arms above his head.

"I need you to go into town and pick up the new arrivals." Yami explained as he grabbed Yuugi's hands before he could lie back down. He quickly picked his partner up bridal style and carried him to the bathroom. Once there he placed Yuugi down on his feet and blocked the door.

Yuugi realized he wasn't going to win since his husband was blocking the door, so he crossed his arms and at least listened to what he had to say. "Why I am doing this? I thought it was Taylor's or Ethan's job to pick up new arrivals."

"It normally is but they left last night to go to a friend's house in the vampire district and forgot to tell me about it. I only found out when they were leaving the palace and had no clue where they were going. I didn't want to ruin their fun, so I figured this was the perfect chance for you to see what their job entails." The King then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I just forgot to tell you last night."

In all his twenty years of being a vampire, Yuugi had never picked up humans from the portals. This was certainly going to be interesting and he hoped he did not mess it up. "You owe me big time." He replied to his lover before pushing him out of the bathroom. "Now I need a shower, so go so I can get ready."

"It won't be that bad, just pick them up and bring them to the palace." Yami said with a smile as he left Yuugi to take his shower. While his partner got ready, Yami left Yuugi a note just telling him to be safe and not to worry, before leaving their room to start the day. He had his own duties to deal with before the new arrivals and it was best to be finished so he could meet with the new citizens.

* * *

By seven in the morning, Yuugi was out of the palace and riding in the family limo to the postal office to pick up the new arrivals. One of the arrivals was a husband and wife coming from England to visit family, who had just welcomed a baby into the family. It was the husband's sister and they wanted to be there for her. The guardian of the portal for England was still Ryou's sister Amane, but she was forty two now with a husband and two children of her own. Since becoming a mother she needed to be there for her children more and it was only certain times she could see people to the portals.

The other arrival was a young adult male who was fresh out of college and was coming from the portal in India. He heard of the city from some friends and wanted to see what it was like. It was naturally for the city to get young adults trying to figure out their place in life. Either they liked it here and stayed or they left for some other place. Apparently this young adult had already been traveling when he ended up in India and heard of Vampire City. He was originally from America, but had no plans to go back there. The portal holder of India was still Dartz, but like others he had little time to see people to the portal given he was a businessman who was often busy.

Since most of the portal holders had families or businesses to run, Yami had to follow their schedules in order to get people into the city. This often led to Taylor and Ethan picking people up at weird hours of the day or sometimes late at night. Late nights were not always happening since even vampires needed their sleep. However early mornings were not something Yuugi was enjoying at the moment. He was seriously going to need a nap sometime in the afternoon.

The ride was short given there was no traffic, but people were out and about in the downtown area getting ready to open businesses and start the day. Once the limo pulled to a stop, Yuugi got out and made his way into the postal office. The place was busy with workers trying to sort mail or help the few costumers that were in there. Yuugi walked pass them all and made his way to the mangers office where the key was kept for the door to the portals. Yami wanted the door locked at all times unless someone was being picked up or dropped off. There were spells in place so no vampires could go through the portals, but Yami did not want humans coming and going without him knowing. So Yami had a key and the manager of the postal office had one. There were only two keys and the one Yami had never left his office unless it was with him.

The manager was an older gentleman who was in his early seventies and reminded Yuugi of his grandfather. He was a sweet guy and was more than happy to open the door for Yuugi. After that was done, he left Yuugi to do his job. The trip down to the portals was short and Chloe was already at her desk fixing up her files. It had been a while since Yuugi had been down there, so it took Yuugi by surprise at how pretty the portals really looked. Each was a different color to describe which location they were linked to. The colors bounced off the white walls give the room a tie-dye look.

Chloe looked surprised to see him. "Oh, Yuugi I'm surprised to see you." She quickly hid what was in her hands. "Where is Taylor?"

Yuugi moved to stand beside the desk facing her. "He is off with Ethan somewhere and Yami decided he would allow me to pick up the new arrivals." He then noticed something peeking out of the desk drawer. "What are you hiding?"

Chloe sighed and pulled out a squirt gun. "I was going to pay Taylor back for messing with me the last time we had new arrivals." She placed it back in her desk. "He thought it would be funny to put a fake spider on my head and he knows how much I hate spiders. I looked like a complete fool in front of those arrivals."

Yuugi knew Chloe and Taylor were good friends, but sometimes Taylor took jokes too far. "I think I can help you get him back." He already had a planned in mind but it would have to wait until after he finished his job and got Yami in on the plan. "Let me talk to Yami, and then you will be open to some good old revenge."

"Oh I knew there was an evil mind in that brain of yours." She grinned up at him. "The King really did make a good choice in marrying you. I don't know what it was, but the first time you came here I knew there was something special."

"I'm just glad I decided to stay," Yuugi told her as he picked up the two files on her desk. "These are files for the new citizens?"

Chloe nodded. "They will keep those because they have their paperwork inside." After she said that two of the portals gave off a light glow. "It appears they are arriving now."

The first two to appear were the husband and wife from England. According to their file their names were Adam and Kelly Liddell and would only be staying for a small time since they both had small suitcases with them. The next to arrive from India was Daniel Smith and the only thing to arrive with him was two boxes.

"Welcome to Vampire City," Yuugi greeted them, "I hope you enjoy your stay in our city. If you will please follow me I will show you to our King." He turned to lead the way while also informing the new citizens their things would be collected for them and they may leave them.

Daniel took the lead behind Yuugi leaving his things behind, while Adam and Kelly were behind him, but decided to keep their suitcases with them. When they reached the postal office again, Yuugi took a minute to lock the door and return the key. He let the manager know that someone would need to collect Daniels things and send them to the palace until he was placed in a home. Chloe would remain down with the portals until Daniels things had been picked up and when anyone who has plans to leave the city left. Judging by the files on her desk a few people were scheduled to leave later today.

Once that was done, the four exited the office where they found the limo still waiting. The driver held the door open as Yuugi got in follow by the new arrivals. Yuugi sat on the side with Daniel across from him while the couple sat on the back row. A minute later the limo was moving again, so they all sat in silence.

The silence was broken by Adam after a while as he asked Yuugi a question. "You are the King's mate correct?"

Yuugi looked to the husband and nodded. "Yes, my husband is the King. I'm sure you learned this from your sister?"

Adam nodded and then Daniel asked his own question. "So you're a vampire?"

"Yes, you may not be able to tell by my appearance, but I was changed twenty years ago. As you'll see the city has many vampires, but vampires and humans have gotten along fine for hundreds of years. There are some vampires that stay away from the humans, but they will not harm you." Yuugi explained. He remembered being like Daniel and not believing there was a city full of vampires. This certainly was a great place to start over if you can live with vampires being around you.

"What's it like being a vampire?" Daniel continued to ask. It made Yuugi feel good that he didn't seem scared of being so close to one.

"It's not much different. In my case I'm faster and stronger than I was before, but I don't have any special powers or anything. There is also the fact I will never grow old. I'm sure it's hard to believe, but by now I should have been in my early to mid-forties." Yuugi would always get teased by his children when his birthday would come around. They would tell him he looked great for someone his age. Although like the children's birthdays long ago, even Yugi's birthday's stopped being celebrated about ten years ago and he was okay with that. There really wasn't the point of a birthday since technically Yuugi died and he was no longer a living human. Yami still liked to give him a gift and with his birthday coming up he would probably get another one.

"So can vampires even die?" This next question threw Yuugi off for a moment. He remembered wondering that same thing before Yami explained it to him. However Daniel had just entered the city and he was already playing twenty questions about vampires. Vampires often did not disclose what they were weak against for fear of humans killing them. After becoming one, Yuugi could relate to that fear and he felt it for himself and his family. Yami had long ago figured out what Yuugi was weak against, because Yuugi asked him to find out. Yuugi wanted to know so he could be careful. Only Yami and Yuugi knew the truth of Yuugi's weakness just like only Yuugi and Yami's council knew of Yami's weakness.

With the young adult still waiting on an answer, Yuugi wasn't sure how to reply. Something just did not feel right and he was ready to have Yami back beside him. The shadows stirred a little as they felt Yuugi's anxiety go up, so Yuugi closed his eyes and tried to keep his emotions in check. Thankfully the limo ride to the palace was short and the door was opened for them. Yuugi was the first out of the limo to get some fresh air and away from the question that made him of all people fear humans.

The question was left unanswered as Jason and Raven greeted Yuugi at the door. Yuugi's mind went into over drive as he wanted to have a minute alone with his husband. "Jason, would you please show our guest to the kitchen. I'm sure they would like something to eat before their meeting with the King. I must also check on my husband to see if he is ready for them."

Jason nodded and before Yuugi could pass he put a hand the shorter male's shoulder and whispered so only Raven and Yuugi could hear, "How did everything go?" He noticed the way Yuugi looked and something wasn't alright with him.

Yuugi shook his head and whispered back, "I just need a minute with Yami. Also be careful, Daniel likes to ask questions." He left before anything else could be said and hurried down the halls.

* * *

The office was empty except for Yami when he entered, so he quickly locked the door to make sure they weren't disturbed. Yuugi then made his way over to Yami's desk and around it. Yami looked up from his work long enough to greet him and the next thing he knew his mate was sitting in his lap with his arms around the King's neck. The King had no problem returning the embrace, but he was confused by it also.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Yuugi shook his head and kept his face hidden in Yami's shirt. He just needed a minute to get his feelings in check. Yami would get upset if he thought Yuugi was hurt.

"Did everything go okay with the new citizens?" Yami continued to press. He had sent Jason and Raven to greet Yuugi at the door. He had a small bit of paperwork to finish before meeting with the new arrivals and Jason was supposed to hold them off.

Yuugi nodded and looked up to finally address his partner. "I told Jason to take them to the kitchen so I could speak with you." He pulled back enough so they could take properly. "I just needed to see you."

Those words were enough to make Yami worried. "What has happened? You know you can tell me anything."

"It's probably nothing, I just had this overwhelming all of a sudden and needed to be with you again." Yuugi started to wipe at his eyes as the tears started coming. It was like he had no control of his emotions anymore. "I don't know what is going on with me."

Yami grabbed a tissue from his desk and started to wipe Yuugi's eyes for him. "Tell me what happened from the beginning. I'm sure together we can figure out why you are so upset."

Yuugi agreed and started to tell him everything from the meeting with the new arrivals to the car ride to the palace. He left nothing out even telling his love all the questions the three individuals asked him. Lastly he explained when he started feeling weird and just wanted to be back at the palace.

The King listened to all his lover had to say until Yuugi was finished and it seemed he knew what was going on as he offered the younger a smile. He gently kissed Yuugi's forehead and hugged him close. Yuugi was confused, but he welcomed the embrace.

"I know what probably upset you," Yami said when they finally pulled away. "Naturally you are older than you look, but in vampire years you are still a child."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow at him not sure the meaning behind what was being said. "I do not understand, what do you mean by that?"

"You said you felt uneasy when he asked how vampires die, correct?" When Yuugi nodded, Yami continued. "The vampire part of you is still a child. Vampires of today still have that fear that humans will learn their weakness and destroy us, but older ones are stronger. Given you are young, you are not strong to your weakness and when Daniel asked that question your mind was looking for an escape. You held a fear of saying the wrong thing and letting him know what you are weak against."

"So it was all in my head?" Yuugi asked as he tried to wrap his mind around everything. "I wasn't going to tell him anything, but I couldn't figure out a way to answer his question either without being rude."

"Remember when you once fear Joey of all people when he came to visit?"

Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't stay close to him even though I was happy to see him. I kept to you most of the time." He had hated seeing the hurt look in Joey's eyes, but Joey seemed to understand something Yuugi didn't.

"At the moment there are two sides to you Yuugi. The old Yuugi everyone loves and the new Yuugi who has a vampire side to him." Yami went on to explain trying to help Yuugi see that there was nothing wrong with his fears. "That question probably triggered that new Yuugi and he just wanted to get away. Some vampires would have gotten defensive, but you didn't want to hurt anyone which is a good thing. Seto and Joey would have probably felt the same if put in the situation. They are even younger than you, but given their personalities they probably would have told the guy off for asking."

Yuugi still needed time to wrap his mind around all this, but at least he felt better. "I guess it's been so long since I have felt threaten and I wasn't sure how to react." He looked up at Yami. "Why was he asking all those questions anyway?"

Yami shrugged. "He is young and never seen a vampire before. He was naturally curious to know the life of a vampire." He gave Yuugi a kiss, before moving Yuugi off his lap so they could both stand. "I'm sure he meant no harm to you, but I'll find out why he was asking if you really want to know."

The younger seemed happy with that as they walked out of the office. After becoming a vampire Yuugi thought he had gotten rid of all those fears that humans were going to hurt him, but it seemed sometimes they would resurface. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought about seeing if Yami would let him have the day off. At the moment Yuugi just wanted to be with his children or maybe his friends. Vampires were always around him twenty four seven and that was all he wanted to be around.

"Yami..?" The King looked down at him letting him know he was listening. "Do you think I could sit this one out this time? I don't feel like being in the same room as that man."

Yami agreed, "Do what you want for the day and I'll see you around lunch." They kissed again briefly before Yami left him to go collect the new arrivals.

Once Yami was out of site, Yuugi hurried down the halls toward where he knew his best friend would be. Joey was always someone Yuugi could turn to and there was no way he was going to burden the children with his problems. This little episode of anxiety was hopefully the last Yuugi was going to see of it. If not then Yuugi just took a huge step back from being okay around humans. It hurt the younger to know that one little question completely turned his day upside down.

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**Sakura: **Well this one wasn't as long as the other chapters, but it hit a major point in the story. I'll just have to wait and see if anyone else noticed it.

**Yumi: ** Review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I think some of my readers are starting to catch on to what may or may not happen. Just keep looking for clues, because we are slowly moving into the more interesting part of the story. Well the more interesting part will happen soon, but for now we need a little more Yuugi and Yami fluff, so enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter Six**

**Vampires**

Blood thirsty monsters or misunderstood creatures

* * *

The King of Vampire city was a kind ruler to all his people so long as they followed his rules. However if someone stepped out of line there was a price to pay. Never in all his life had Yami felt such pain as he did when he saw the fear in Yuugi's eyes. When Yuugi left his office, he just wanted to pull him back and keep him close. If Yami had any true weakness it should be the love he felt for his family. So badly Yami wanted to make the man pay for putting that look onto his mate's face, but there was nothing wrong with asking questions. It was perfectly natural for humans to be curious about vampires given they shared a city with them. The King only had a problem when humans wanted to get rid of the existence of vampires. It had happened back in his past when the Hunters force the vampires to build and live in this city. That had been thousands of years ago and no case of human rebellion had been around since then. As far as the King was concerned the Hunters had all died out, but there was still the fear within him that some were still around and keeping an eye on his city.

Since his thoughts were turning back to a past he rather forget Yami focused on the task at hand. There were new arrivals waiting to see the King and he wanted to get it over with so he could check on his spouse. Jason and Raven were both standing out in the hallway talking quietly to one another just outside the kitchen doors. There were small noises coming from the kitchen but not the usual chatter he was used to hearing around the main meal times.

The two stopped when they saw Yami and Jason took note of the fact that Yuugi was not with him. "Where did Yuugi go?"

"He had some things he wished to tend to, so I'll be handling the new arrivals on my own." Yami explained to them. He could see the worry in their eyes and it was easy to tell he wasn't the only one who had noticed how Yuugi had been acting. "Raven, Mr. and Mrs. Liddell will only be here for a short while, so I would like to escort them to Mr. Liddell's sister's house once they have finished their meal. Here is the address…" He handed her a piece of paper, before turning toward his son. "I would like for you to escort Mr. Smith to my office once he has finished his meal. If I'm not in my office wait for me, since I have a small errand to run."

Jason nodded toward his father and then turned to his wife. "You think you know the way well enough?"

"I know the city well enough to do this for the King. Don't worry about me so much." Raven said as he pinched Jason's cheek before going back into the kitchen.

Jason blushed and turned to his father when he heard him chuckle. "What?"

"Nothing son, I just find it amusing how much married life has changed you."

"That's not a bad thing is it?"

Yami shook his head and patted his son on the shoulder. "It's not a bad thing at all. It makes me and Yuugi happy to see the two of you so happy together. I was worried you would never find yourself a wife."

"I just had to wait hundreds of years to find the right one." Jason said with a smile. There were so many others he thought he loved, but unlike them there was something special about Raven. After all they had been through before the war this marriage was a blessing to the both of them.

"It's always worth the wait to find that one person who will always remain by your side." Yami told him, before he made his leave. He still had that errand to run before his meeting with the human Daniel Smith.

* * *

The council's quarters were quiet as Yami walked down the halls since some of his close friends were either already up or still asleep. This was why most of the meetings were held in the afternoon before dinner time. It allowed everyone to get a good nice sleep and deal with their morning routine before moving into their jobs around the place. There were at least two people Yami knew of that were still asleep and he was headed to one of those rooms now. He knocked as loud as he could so he wouldn't be ignored and then waited.

"WHO THE HELL IS IT?"

Yami had to hold in the laugh that wanted to come forth. Only his close friends could get away with speaking to their King like that. "Bakura it's nearly breakfast time, so I think it's about time you got up."

"Oh yeah well make me you royal pain in the ass," Oh yes only Bakura could get away with saying comments like that to the King. If anyone else had said that, Yami probably would have them thrown in jail for the night out of disrespect for their King.

"Kura!" Another more angelic voice spoke up. "What did I say about your language?"

The room was quiet for a minute before the sound of someone falling on the floor sounded within the room. Either it was an accident or sweet little Ryou just taught his mate a lesson.

"Hell Ryou! What the bloody hell was that for?" Bakura shouted.

"He had a point when he said it was time to get up. Now get ready for the day or I'll punish you again." Ryou threaten Bakura, before there were footsteps and then the door to the room opened. It revealed Ryou in a robe and boxers and in the background was Bakura on his back on the floor with only a sheet to cover him.

Ryou offered Yami a smile, before stepping into the hallway and shutting the door behind him. "Sorry about him, what is it you need?"

"I won't take too much of your time, but I need to ask a favor of you."

"Of course, what is it?" Ryou questioned with a look of confusion. He did not do much around the palace except some work with Bakura. If there was anything the King needed him to do he would do it.

Yami knew Yuugi would probably be mad at him for this, but at the moment he knew Yuugi needed someone who could understand what he was going through. "We had some new arrivals come in today, so Yuugi went to pick them up. One of the humans started to ask questions and Yuugi got freaked out. I know he has probably gone off to see Joey, but I think he needs an older friend to help him feel better." There were times when Yami could be there for Yuugi, but at the moment he couldn't.

"Could you tell me what happened?" Ryou asked concerned for his friend. Yuugi was a sweetheart to everyone at the palace. Over the years Yuugi had become close to Ryou, Malik, and Kisara even though he already had a close friend by the name of Joey. All five of them had hung out together numerous times and become like family to each other so when one of them was hurt everyone seemed to feel the pain.

"I'm not sure why he asked Yuugi this question, but the human asked Yuugi how vampires die. Yuugi had no idea how to act or answer that question. I also don't blame him for keeping quiet." Yami explained to Ryou and wasn't at all shock by the shocked look on Ryou's face. Ryou would understand given he had been a newborn at one point. If anyone could help Yuugi understand his feelings it was Ryou.

It seemed Ryou needed to know nothing else as he put a reassuring hand on the King's arm. "Don't worry, once I get Bakura up I'll go and see him." He offered his friend a smile before returning to his room.

Yami thanked Ryou, before he went inside and once the door was closed Yami headed back to his office. Yuugi would never be alone so long as he had his family and friends around. There may be some internal battles Yami could not fight for Yuugi, but he sure as hell won't let anymore humans make his mate feel uncomfortable ever again.

* * *

There was no surprise that Ryou found Yuugi and Joey in the children's game room when he went in search of the two. Yuugi even though he was older still had a soft spot for any kind of game and never backed down from a challenge. The two had been in the middle of a fighting match against each other until Yuugi finally delivered the final blow that took Joey out. The blond groaned and lay back on the floor with a sigh, "I'll never beat you!"

Ryou chuckled which caused both to turn and look at him. He offered a smile and took a spot on the other side of Yuugi. "I see Yuugi still holds the title as King of Games."

"He's never gonna lose it!" Joey laughed, "He doesn't even have to go into retirement now that he'll be young forever."

Yuugi laughed with him as he took the game out. "One day someone will beat me, besides I just enjoy games it's not like it's my job." He turned to Ryou with a smile. "I'm surprised Bakura let you out this early, he still asleep?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, Yami needed him to do something and I was already up so I forced him out of bed. Yami told me you and Joey was hanging out and with Bakura busy I thought you wouldn't mind me coming around." He hated lying to Yuugi, but he wanted to slowly bring up the conversation. Yuugi was happy for the moment and it wouldn't hurt for it to stay that way for a little while longer. Plus it would be easier to talk to Yuugi when it was just the two of them.

Joey stood up and dusted his pants off. "Well, why don't you see if you can beat him? I need to go get some snacks." He ruffled Yuugi's hair before hurrying out of the room.

Yuugi rolled his eyes at Joey's antics. "Even as a vampire he has a bottomless pit for a stomach." As he turned to look for a new game to play, he continued to talk. "Yami sent you didn't he?"

"I guess nothing gets pass you. I wasn't sure if you had told Joey what had happened?" Ryou told him, which wasn't far from the truth.

Yuugi shrugged. "I was going to talk to him, but I couldn't get the words out. I lied and told him I wanted to hang out with him since we hadn't in a while. When he suggested video games, I took the chance to take my mind off what had happened."

"I'm here if you want to talk. I know what it is like to be such a young vampire. I mean I'm still young compared to Bakura and Yami, but I'm older than you." Ryou pointed out, "I heard from Yami what had happened and I wanted you to know that you're not the only one who has been asked things like that."

Yuugi paused in his search and looked at Ryou over his shoulder. "Have you ever been asked how vampires die?"

Ryou shook his head at the question. "No, but I was once asked by a vampire what my weakness was. It's typical for other vampires to be curious about other vampires' weakness since they want to be careful not to cause harm. That's why most new vampires go under that test, so they can take the precautions not to use anything that could harm them." He gave Yuugi a gently smile, "You should have seen me when that vampire asked me. I was out shopping with Bakura and we happened upon a vampire run shop. It had all kinds of clothes and accessories. The owner thought it would be nice to help us and he asked both me and Bakura what our weakness was so he could help us shop. There was silver sold in the shop along with perfumes that could harm the wrong vampire. I nearly flipped out when he asked. I froze up and clung to Bakura's side afraid to even look at the guy. Bakura seemed to have an idea of what was wrong and he cursed the guy out for being so blunt in asking a question like that to a newborn."

Yuugi had stopped his search and had turned to listen to Ryou as he told his story. "You flipped out just because he wanted to make sure you stayed safe?"

Ryou nodded. "I knew my weakness at the time since Bakura wanted me to stay safe, but in the back of my mind I felt scared to tell anyone else. I held this fear of someone being out there and killing me because they knew my weakness."

"I guess no vampire wants to reveal what they are weak against." Yuugi sighed and reached up to grip his locket. "Yami made me go through the test once he felt I was ready and it was the scariest thing I had to do. I was worried I would be weak against so many things and it would make any one able to kill me easier. When that guy asked me that question I was worried about saying the wrong thing. I mean who goes around asking if vampires can die."

"They are either really curious or completely stupid," Ryou said as he reached out to hold Yuugi's other hand. "Just remember that no one will let anything happen to you. After today you will never have to see that guy again. Hopefully he learns to keep his mouth shut or he'll end up pissing off the wrong vampire."

Yuugi nodded and reached out to hug Ryou. "I'm glad you're around. You always say the right things to make someone feel better."

Ryou returned the hug and said, "I'll always be here to talk if you need someone."

As soon as they broke apart, Joey walked back in with a few snacks to share with his friends. "So what game are we playing next?"

Yuugi and Ryou chuckled, before looking for a game they could all play together.

* * *

When the sun was finally setting, Yuugi stood on the balcony to his room to watch it. He had a fun filled day with all his friends and it had made Yuugi feel better. Sometimes a day off was needed from everyday life and it allowed Yuugi time to take his mind off work, children, and even being co-ruler. His family was always important to him, but the children were more than able to take care of themselves.

The only thing Yuugi felt bad about was leaving Yami to run the city by himself. The King had been busy all day and was not seen for both lunch and dinner. While he handled the meetings after lunch, Yuugi was going downtown with his friends. He knew Yami had been ruling the city by himself since before Yuugi was even born, but still he was co-ruler and all the responsible was not on Yami's shoulders anymore. After dinner, Yuugi finally went to Yami's office to check on his husband and found him hard at work on some new building plans. Some buildings needed repair as they grew old with age and the city needed to always look it's best and there were a couple new businesses popping up. It was a lot of work to do for one person, so Yuugi pulled his husband away and promised the two of them would finish it tomorrow.

When they made it back to their room, Yuugi ran Yami a bath for the King to relax in before he traveled out onto the balcony to watch the sunset. It was his favorite part of the day and he never missed it. As he watched the streetlights come on one by one, Yuugi felt arms wrap around his waist. He shivered as his husband trailed kisses down his neck.

"It's beautiful isn't it," Yuugi said as the city was put into an orange and yellow glow from the setting sun.

Yami turned Yuugi around and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Not as beautiful as you," He picked Yuugi up bridal style and carried him back into their room. Yami gently placed his partner on the bed and crawled up beside him so he could wrap his arms around Yuugi.

Yuugi breath in the spicy scent of his husband and also blushed when he took note that Yami was only in a towel. It seemed Yami had cut his bath short in order to get back to Yuugi. "I went through all the trouble and you don't even relax long enough in the bath." Yuugi teased as he pinched Yami's cheek.

"I could have stayed in longer if a certain someone had joined me," Yami teased right back. "It's so lonely and cold without you there."

A bright blush marked Yuugi's face as Yami's hands found their way under Yuugi's shirt. "You are just trying to get lucky," Yuugi pointed out and really he didn't mind. Yami sure knew the way to treat Yuugi that made him feel like jelly.

"And what if I am?" Yami whispered in Yuugi's ear. After what Yuugi went through earlier that day, he just wanted to make Yuugi feel special and loved.

"I'm sure we could work something in," Yuugi gently kissed his husband on the lips, before pulling away with a sad smile. "I'm sorry for leaving you with all the work today."

"You have no reason to be sorry," Yami stated as he pulled back some. He figured they could talk about this later, but it was probably a good idea to get it over with. "I had a talk with Mr. Smith and he was sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable. I warned him that some vampires don't take too likely to that question and he informed me he wouldn't ask it again."

Yuugi nodded. "I talked with Ryou and its feels good to know I'm not the only vampire who has gone through this."

Yami smiled down at Yuugi. "It's natural and it's what makes vampires seem more human. We have fears just as humans do and it's not like we can't die. We do have longer lives and minus the fact we drink blood we are more similar to humans than they think."

"I sometimes still feel human," Yuugi confessed. "When I hang out with you, the children, or even our friends I continue to feel like my old self. The only thing different is that my body doesn't age anymore." He bought one of Yami's hands around so he could link their fingers together. "I say we both look good for our ages."

Yami had to laugh at that as he lean his forehead on Yuugi's. "Who would ever thought such an old man like me could find such a hot young thing like you."

Yuugi couldn't help joying in as they laugh together and held each other. When they finally quiet down, Yuugi looked up into Yami's eyes and loved to see those beautiful mismatched eyes looking back at him with love in them. He knew he had nothing to fear so long as he had his husband by his side. Yami had survived two wars one in Ancient Egypt and the other the rebellion in Vampire City. He had seen and been though more than Yuugi had in his life, so if there was anyone who could love and protect Yuugi it was Yami. They were a family along with their beautiful children.

Vampires may seem like cold creatures who feed on human blood, but the humans of vampire city often overlook the true nature of a vampire. They have families, lovers, and friends. These individuals have people they love to protect and even have their own fears. If anyone wanted to meet a true vampire then the King of Vampire was someone to meet.

"I love you so much," Yuugi found himself saying after a while of silence. It was never needed to be said, but there were just times when Yuugi felt the need to say it out loud to prove it even more.

"Just as I will always love you," Yami replied back as he pulled Yuugi close and pulled him into a passionate kiss. They spent the rest of the night proving to each other how much they loved each other.

* * *

**Sakura: **This one gave me a little trouble, but thankfully it is finished! I'm sure some people are still curious as to what Yuugi's weakness is but that will come in later. Also look forward to the story picking up some more as the plot slowly starts to build. I want to make this story as long as possible, but continue to make it interesting to readers.

**Yumi: Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **In this chapter I added a few things that two of my readers wanted to read about. The first one is from Nekoyasha, who wanted to see Raven and Yuugi's relationship since she is new to the family, then dragonlady222, who wanted to read a little more about Chan and Kotaro. I figured it was a good idea to get more into the family since I mainly focused on Yuugi in Vampire City. Thanks to both those readers for throwing those ideas at me.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**FAMILY**

Those who care and love each other

* * *

The months rolled by and before long December had fallen upon the Vampire City. The city was buzzing with cheerful citizens preparing for the holidays and the upcoming Winter Ball held every year at the palace. Decorations were hung everywhere in homes, on the streets, and in shops. Vampires and humans alike seem to come together more during the holidays, but there were still those that distance themselves.

While the shield around the city prevents anyone from leaving the city or entering the city unless it is through a portal, it does let in the weather in the surrounding area. When the weather changes or storms come rolling in, the city is effect by it. Given the city is located in the middle of the ocean, there is never much snow in the winter, unless a few clouds pass by and sprinkle some down. The most the city had ever gotten was an inch or so of snow, but when it does come it is a blessing to some.

It was only about two weeks into December when a small snow storm blew through and with it a few inches of snow, but nothing too serious that would stop people from doing their jobs or driving in the streets. Thanks to this welcomed gift of snow, the two sleeping Kings were rudely awakened by two of their children, who were overly excited by the weather.

Chan who was still in her night gown sat on her father's legs trying to get him to wake up. She bounced in excitement causing the man under her to groan. "Come on daddy! It's so pretty outside!"

"Chan and I want to go outside and play in it," Kotaro pointed out from where he sat beside Yuugi trying to shake his papa awake.

Yuugi yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When he looked at his nightstand, he saw the alarm clock read seven in the morning. Normally by now both he and his husband would already be awake to eat breakfast before starting their duties for the day, but the day before had stressed them out, so they had wanted to sleep in.

"Do you two have any idea what time it is?" Yuugi asked them as he sat up and stretched his back out. Thankfully Yuugi and Yami had been too tired to do anything the night before and both were dressed in their night clothes.

Kotaro took one look at the clock before looking at Yuugi with a big smile. "It's seven, perfect time to go out and play before everyone else wakes up."

Yuugi couldn't help but chuckle at Kotaro's way of thinking. "Alright, how about this, you two go get ready and eat some breakfast. Once I get your father up, we will see about going outside okay?" He told them trying to play the good guy. Honestly it wouldn't bother Yuugi and Yami if the two went outside without them, but those two still felt like the two Kings should go with them, which in turn showed how much they still acted like children.

Chan and Kotaro happily agreed with that as they hurried out of the room to go get ready. This left Yuugi with a lazy King to still wake up who was faking sleep hoping his children would go away. The younger King kissed his husband's cheek, before swiftly pushing him out of the bed.

The older King couldn't even get a word of surprise out as he found himself on the floor kissing the ground. He laid there for a minute trying wrap his head around what had just happened, before finally looking up at Yuugi, who was looking down at him laughing.

"Oh honey the look on your face was priceless," Yuugi said once he had calmed down. He then crawled down off the bed and into his husband's lap once Yami had sat up. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Yami shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair which was messed up from sleep. "No, I think if anything my pride is hurt. You know there are easier ways to wake me up."

"Yes I know that, but the last time I tried kissing you awake we didn't get out of bed until noon. At least this way you get your lazy butt out of bed." Yuugi did lean up and kiss his husband good morning and as an apology. "Now, let's get ready before those two come back and drag us out in our pajamas."

The Vampire King sighed, but got up nonetheless to get the day started. He had been looking forward to sleeping in, but with two children vampires running around, it was most likely not going to happen. "I think we need to set some more ground rules about them waking us up."

Yuugi walked over to their balcony to open the curtains and take a look outside. "Oh Yami stop whining and come over here. They weren't kidding when they said it looks pretty outside. Besides they are kids at heart and all children love the snow."

Yami took the time to join Yuugi and wrap his arms around his husband as they took a look outside. They had a great view of the city and at that moment the whole city was blanketed in freshly fallen snow. It wasn't but a few inches, but it still gave the place a beautiful look to it. "I've got to admit that is some view."

"It sure got Chan and Kotaro excited. I think it will do us some good to hang out with the kids today and have a little family fun." Yuugi pointed out. The older children probably already had plans for the day, but Chan and Kotaro just wanted to have fun with their parents.

There was no way Yami could deny his husband the chance to enjoy some fun with their children, so after tearing their eyes away from the site outside they set about getting ready for the day.

* * *

An hour later found the two Kings and their younger children outside playing in the snow. They chose the Kings private garden so there was room for Chan and Kotaro to run around. Plus the fallen snow would not have been touch by anyone by the time they arrived. It was like a frozen wonderland since everything was covered in snow and the trees had been decorated by all the children with strings of lights. The fountain had been shut down for the winter, but the water that was settled on the bottom had frozen over. If it had been large enough the children probably would have wanted to go skating on it.

While the children played, Yuugi and Yami made themselves comfortable on a bench under the gazebo. They were both dressed in black jeans, Yuugi wore a purple long sleeve shirt, and Yami wore a short sleeve maroon shirt. Vampires did not feel the cold like humans, but that still didn't stop Yami from bringing a blanket to wrap around the two of them so they could cuddle.

Kotaro hid behind a tree as his sister tried to hit him with snow balls. He kneeled down on the ground to make more, before peeping around to see that his sister got the same idea and was hiding behind the fountain. There was never a day that went by that he didn't love playing with his sister. They had been together for over a hundred years. When he was a human Kotaro grew up without parents who loved him and no siblings. The only good thing his parents ever did for him was dropping him off in Vampire City. He never could understand why they did it and since they had been dead for years he would never find out. Yami had once told him, that it was because something probably happened and they had to get rid of him or fear getting in trouble. They may have not wanted murder on their hands so they just dumped him in a place no one would find him. Either way Kotaro was much happy with his life, because he now had parents who cared for him and siblings who were always fun to be around.

His little sister was everything to him given they were close to the same age. Most vampire children were older than them, plus they never really left the palace that often. Chan was a one of a kind girl that Kotaro would do anything to protect. Even when they had fights they could never stay mad at each other for long.

The boy checked his surroundings one more time to see if Chan had moved, but she was still kneeling behind the fountain. A plan already formed in his head, Kotaro gathered as much snow in his arms that he could carry, before quietly moving from behind the tree and using other objects around the garden to sneak up behind Chan.

Chan had about ten or so snowballs formed in perfect balls when out of nowhere she was attacked from behind. Snow had been dumped on her head and was slowly running down her back side. She quickly turned and glared daggers at a laughing Kotaro. "Big brother!"

Kotaro just grinned at her. "You should have been more careful where you hid little sister." He reached out and wiped some of the snow from her hair. He loved messing with his sister, but sometimes she would get pissed at his dirty tricks. "Okay, how about we call the snow ball fight off for now and kick the ball around some."

"You only want to quit because you knew I was going to beat you." Chan said as she dusted her clothes off. Sometimes her brothers could get on her nerves. It had been hard being the only girl in the family until Raven came along. Her new sister was okay, but she liked to hang out with Jason and the other older boys more. It frustrated Chan so much being so little and the only friend she had was her brother Kotaro. Her parents always saw her as special and loved her to death, but sometimes she just wished she had been older before being changed.

Kotaro noticed the look in his sister's eyes and grabbed her hands. "Hey, no bad thoughts okay. I'm sorry I did that to you. I'll play fair from now on, since I know you love to beat me."

Chan nodded and couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face. The two found their ball hiding in the snow and started to kick it around. Kotaro always knew the right things to say since he had to deal with the same things Chan had to deal with. People always saw them as children, even when they were older than all the humans in the city, plus a good few of the vampires. They were wise beyond their years and could hold their own in a fight. If only people stopped seeing them as children based on their height then it would hurt them less. They dealt with it every day and pain like that can never really fade away. Their parents treated them fair and like adults, but even they would forget that Chan and Kotaro are not children who needed to be babied.

In a way Chan and Kotaro enjoyed acting like children in some cases. They may be over a hundred years old, but given their size they are not given as much responsibility. Their father never sends them out to run errands or to do jobs around the palace. This is mostly because some people do not take them serious. Since they are not given as much responsibility this gives the two free time twenty four seven to do what they like. So as anyone would do if they have free time, the two do what they like and that is playing games, handing out, or just being lazy.

Moments like this one as their parents watch them kick the ball back and forth, they do enjoy. They get to be the children, who their parents give all their attention to. No matter how old they get the two want love and support from their parents.

"Kotaro!" Chan shouted with a stomp of her foot. Only her brother could kick the ball so that it would land in the tree right behind his sister. Her brother shouted out he was sorry as she made her way over to the tree. There were no low branches so she would have to try her best to climb up. She jumped as high as she could and latched on to the tree by hugging herself close to it. However there was no way to really grip the tree so she slid down onto her butt. "Uh! Kotaro needs to have better aim."

When she turned to get her brother over to help her, she found Yuugi standing behind her smiling down at her. "Hey, need any help?" He asked and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, Kotaro kicked the ball into the tree. Can you get it down, papa?"

Yuugi looked up at the tree and could see the ball wasn't that high up. If he jumped he could swing up onto the low branch and knock it down. Given Chan's height she would have never reached the low branch to swing up. "You know what I have a better idea." He said as he reached down and picked up Chan.

"What are you doing?" Chan asked as she looked over her shoulder at Yuugi.

"I'm going to tossing you up and you grab onto the branch okay. If you miss, I'll be here to catch you alright." The older vampire smiled at her to reassure her, "Are you ready Chan?"

Chan took a deep breath and nodded, she focused on the branch as Yuugi prepared to toss her. He counted to three before gently tossing her up, giving her enough height to grab the branch and swing up. She stood on the branch using the other branch above her to hold on to. She looked down at Yuugi with a smile. "I did it!"

"I knew you could, now can you reach the ball?"

Chan looked around her and saw that the ball was about one more branch up. She used the one above her to climb up before she punched the ball down. It went flying toward Kotaro who caught it with a smile on his face.

"Way to go sis!"

The younger girl felt so proud of her accomplishment and was glad Yuugi had allowed her to get it. She looked down at her papa and with a childlike laugh she jumped down into his arms. He swung her around causing her to laugh more, before gently putting her on the ground. As Chan looked up at her papa, she couldn't help the joy that she felt for having him in her life. Sure Yuugi wasn't a mother, but he was more of a mother to her than her real mother had been. Yuugi never saw her as a monster, but a vampire who just needed love.

Her father joined them not long after and ruffled his daughter's hair. "How about we all join in on the fun?" He suggested causing the children to agree with delight. The rest of the day was spent as a family enjoying the beautiful day that was upon them.

* * *

The day before the winter ball found the King's mate spending his afternoon in a woman's shop helping two young girls find new dresses. The place was packed thanks to the upcoming ball as every girl and woman in town seemed to have wanted to find a new outfit. Raven and Chan were no different and Yuugi just happened to be the unlucky soul who got to tag along. The King and his sons somehow all found excuses not to go and since Yuugi hated lying to the girls he got dragged into joining them.

At the moment he was sitting on a bench in front of the dressing rooms watching as women both young and old walked in and out of the rooms wearing different dresses. They would walk like they were in a fashion show to the mirrors before turning back and asking their friends or mothers what they thought. Everything around Yuugi was giving him a headache and he was the last one anyone would think to come to for fashion advice. He was the only male in the whole building and the looks he got from the younger women around him creeped him out. The only thing stopping any of them from approaching him or at least giving him their number was probably the ring on his finger and the fact that everyone knew he was the King's husband. Yami would probably throw a fit if anyone came onto what he considered as his soul mate. Not that Yuugi would ever leave Yami for another person, since Yami was the total package to him.

"Yuugi what about this one?" Raven asked as he stepped out in a blue evening gown that was rather plain. The dress she had on before had been too revealing and Yuugi was sure both Jason and Yami would disagree on it. Now the dress she had on just did not seem to fit her. Yuugi had no idea about fashion, but he was pretty sure he could at least help his daughters look good.

Yuugi let her spin around a few times before he shook his head. "It's a little plain, plus do you think you can dance in it with how long it is?"

Raven looked down and realized he was right. "At this rate I'm never going to find the right dress."

"It will come to you don't worry." Yuugi reassured her, "The only one you have to impress is Jason and I think he loves you in everything you wear."

"You have a point, but I want to make sure his eyes don't wonder off," Raven said with a glare at some of the other girls around her. "I don't know how many times I see a bunch of leeches coming up to my husband and putting their slimy hands all over him. He just laughs it off and tells me I'm the only girl, but I want to out shine everyone tomorrow."

"What about me?" The two older vampires turned to see Chan had stepped out of her dressing room in a beautiful dress that she finally picked out after hours of looking. It was pink like most of the clothes the girl wore, but the dress looked stunning on the small vampire. Her small figure and the way the dress shaped her almost made her seem like a child TV star.

The dress was simple at the top with black bead work lining the top and spaghetti straps along with black lace that tied the back together. The bottom of the dress flair out some with ruffles and reached the floor just enough to cover her feet.

Raven's attitude changed full circle as she picked her sister up with a smile. "Oh you look adorable! Every little boy is going to want to dance with you."

"Do you think Kotaro and daddy will like it?"

"There is no doubt, so you must pick this one okay?" Raven told her and the little girl nodded. "Now, I need yours and Yuugi's help in finding a dress."

Once Chan agree to help, Raven put her down and let the little girl get changed, while she went back in her dressing room to try on a new dress. Yuugi just lean against the wall with a sigh as he waited on them. At least one of the girls was done, but there was still Raven left. Ever since she came to live with them her whole life had revolved around Jason. She always had this fear that Jason would leave her for a younger woman given he was changed at fifteen and she was changed at twenty three. Yuugi became close to the young adult as she still continued to get used to the change of being a vampire wife to one of the King's son.

There was no doubt in Yuugi's mind that Jason loved his wife, but like any other couple they had their fights and Raven often felt insecure. Since she came to stay with them, Yuugi had been one of the few people she would come to when she needed to talk. The other siblings were close to Jason so Raven felt like she couldn't go to them if she and Jason were having a problem. Yami was often too busy, plus Raven never seemed to like to be near the King for long. Yuugi was the only one left in the family that Raven could turn to, so they developed a semi close relationship as a real father and daughter.

In a way it warmed Yuugi's heart since Raven was bought into the family after he had already been there for a while. She may have been married into the family, but Yuugi still felt a connection to her. He felt a connection to all his children, but something about Raven was different. Often he just figured it was because she was still getting used to the change and Yuugi had been still going through it. It would be years before either of them really felt like a true vampire. They were like the baby vampires of the family and it could get frustrating at times. Either way Yuugi would do anything to make sure all his children were happy whether they were a young or old vampire.

"Okay this one is my favorite out of all the dresses I have in there." Raven said as she peek her head out from around the door. "I just figured it wouldn't fit the theme of the ball. I found it on the clearance rack and figured I would still buy it for another occasion." As she stepped out both Yuugi and Chan went wide eyed.

The dress did not in any way match the coming up ball, but it fit Raven so prefect there was no way they would let her get away with wearing anything else but it. The dress was pure black with a spider web design all on it. Part of the bottom of the dress was pinned up to show the white ruffles underneath the bottom of the dress. There were no straps and it reached the floor just enough to cover her feet, but she would not have to worry about tripping over it.

"Raven its perfect!" Chan shouted gaining the attention from most of the shoppers. "I know Jason it going to love it."

Yuugi smiled at his daughters, before standing up and putting his hands on Raven's shoulders. "This is the real you and I think Jason is going to have to be the one trying to keep other men off of you."

A blush quickly formed on Raven's face, but she still smiled back at them as she hugged her father-in-law. "Thanks, I'm so going with this one!" She quickly went back into the dressing room to change clothes. Once Raven and Chan were sure of their picks they paid for the dresses then left the shop.

Yuugi stretched his back once they were outside glad to be out of that stuffy building, before turning to his daughters. "So what's next on the list?" He backed up a little when he saw the evil little grins on their faces. "Girls?"

Chan grabbed one hand while Raven grabbed the other. "Now it's your turn papa!" They shouted together and there was no time for protest as Yuugi was dragged down the street. He knew what was on their mind and for once he wished that he could be the one to pick out his outfit. Every year it was the same either Yami or the children would choose his outfit and this year looked like it wouldn't be any different.

* * *

**Sakura: **I guess I probably didn't get as much into Chan, Kotaro, and Raven's back stories as much as some people may have hoped, but you never know there could be another chapter later about them. I'm trying to give the children bigger roles in this story and try not to leave them out as much. Anyway next up is another winter ball and I promise that now things are going to get interesting in the next three chapters...

**Yumi: Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **It's sad that I only got two reviews for the last chapter when all the other chapters got more than two. Oh well I know I probably have some readers that don't review. It can be a little upsetting, but I'll always keep my stories going for those that do read.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Winter Ball**

The tradition that goes on forever

* * *

The palace normally calm and quiet in the early mornings was not so quiet on the day of the winter ball. Servants and messengers raced up and down the halls running errands and doing early preparations for the party that was to be held that night. It was the one day a year when everyone in the city would be under one roof. This caused the workers of the palace to feel a little on edge as they wanted everything to be perfect or risk making their two kings upset.

Yuugi enjoyed when they held the winter ball, but it was the one day a year when his stress level went up. His husband stayed trapped in his office most of the day finishing early paper work that needed his attention. He was often bombarded with workers going in and out of his office letting him know how things were going or to get his approval on something. Thanks to his marriage to Yuugi, however that load was cut in half. Instead of Yami having workers bug him all day, Yuugi took over that job and thus why he was stressed until the party was over.

The younger King sighed as he finished looking over the food list and signed his name at the bottom so the chefs could get to work on preparing the meals for the night. He had only stepped into the kitchen to get a snack before lunch when one of the younger chefs stopped him to get his approval. They were cooking for more than the palace people tonight and there really was no telling how big the crowd would be. Mostly likely the whole city would be in attendance unless they were spending Christmas day night with their families.

Christmas day was a time to spend with families and enjoy the holidays, but the winter ball had been held on the night of Christmas day even before Yuugi had entered the city. He never knew why it was like that and never questioned his husband about it either. The only guess he had was that Yami figured it would be nice for the whole city to come together for the holiday even if they did not celebrate Christmas. In a way the whole city was like one big family or at least Yuugi liked to think of it that way.

The only people who were working on Christmas day were the police, firefighters, hospital staffs and the people in the palace who wanted to, did not celebrate Christmas, or wanted a little extra money. Yami always paid those who worked on Christmas day extra since it caused them to be away from their families. It was amazing how many palace workers loved working on Christmas day instead of staying home. Even Yuugi and Yami were working, but they had spent that morning giving out gifts to the children. All their children were too old to believe in Santa Claus, but Yuugi liked the fact that Yami always made an effort to get his children something no matter how old they were. The two even gave out gifts to their close friends and even received a few from their friends.

The atmosphere had been of joy and good moods when everyone woke up to Christmas morning. It was stressful sure, but Yuugi couldn't help the small smile that stayed on his face. He watched as chefs raced around the kitchen getting their cooking sections ready to start meals that would be needed to be cooked early. The young King could just picture the good smelling food lining table after table and the citizens digging in to the glorious meals. In the end everything would turn out amazing as always and the city would come together as friends to party the night away.

Yuugi took one last look around the kitchen before he snatched a couple apples from a local fruit basket and quietly left the kitchen. As he started down the hall he thought about checking up on his children to see if they liked their gifts and hopefully to take a minute to relax. However the hand that came down on his shoulder quickly squashed that thought. He closed his eyes for a minute before reopening them and turning around to see who needed him now.

Instead of a palace worker however, he found Yumi and Sakura standing behind him with smiles on their faces. This confused the younger greatly since he was sure they probably had things they needed to tend to.

"Just the man we were looking for…" Yumi said as she wrapped an arm around Yuugi's shoulders.

"What did you need me for?" Yuugi asked as Sakura came up on his other side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders too.

"Oh we just need a little help with something," Sakura replied with a grin and a nod toward Yumi.

Before Yuugi could do anything he found himself being lifted up by both girls and dragged off toward somewhere. "Hey! Where are we going?" He shouted as he tried to get out of their hold while also trying to hold on to his snack.

Yumi smirked at him and it was sometimes scary to Yuugi how much she looked like her brother. "It's a surprise, but no worries we promise nothing will happen to you."

That should have bought comfort to Yuugi but he knew the two girls were up to something. Sure, they would never cause bodily harm to him however the two were known for their pranks. Besides the trouble making Marik and Bakura, Yumi and Sakura could be just as devious as any prankster out there. Sadly the only thing Yuugi could do is relax and let them take him where ever they were going. The two were much stronger than him, plus if he helped them then maybe he could get a few minutes away from the stressed out palace workers.

* * *

Of all the places for Sakura and Yumi to take him, the last place he thought would be his husband's office. The door was firmly shut with a do not disturb sign hanging off the handle. Yami only used that sign when he was either in a meeting, did not wished to be disturb, or other things that would forever remain private between Yuugi and Yami.

The two girls set him down and stepped back so he could straighten his clothes back out. Yuugi then turned to look at the two confused on why he was there. "Honestly, why am I here?"

"That thing is on the door," Yumi pointed at the sign. "We have some things to talk with my dear brother about, but the last time I walked in there, back when he first got that stupid sign he nearly bit my head off. Since then I have learned to never go in there. However now that he has you as a lover it shouldn't be hard for you to go in."

Yuugi could not believe they needed him just so they could talk to Yami. "Oh for the love of…" He turned to the door, ripped the sign off, and opened the door walking straight in. "Yami! Your annoying sister needs to speak with you."

"Hey!" Yumi shouted causing Sakura to cover mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Yuugi I'm busy at the moment…" Yami groaned as he looked up from his paperwork when the three entered. He had wanted to get his work done at a decent hour so he could enjoy the party that night. Honestly a Kings work was never done even on holidays.

Yuugi gave Yami a sweet smile and walked over to the desk. He laid the do not disturb sign on top of the desk before giving Yami a kiss on the lips. "Well apparently they really needed to speak with you, so I helped them out."

Yami sighed as he put his pen down. "Fine what do you need Yumi?"

The younger sibling grinned. "Well since you wouldn't listen to me yesterday, I figured now would be the best time." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it showing her older brother what it was. "We want a fashion show for both men and women at this year's winter ball."

"A fashion show..?" Yami asked as if he did not believe it. "Why in the world would I host one of those?"

"Because dear brother of mine, it will allow all the lovely ladies to show off their dress, plus it would give the party a little more excitement." Yumi put an arm around Sakura. "Plus we are not the only ones who want the show. Raven, Chan, and a few others want to join in."

Yuugi chuckled as Yami started to rub his forehead. Every year it was something different with Yumi as she kept trying to give the winter ball something more so it would be more interesting. Year after year it was the same boring ball and Yuugi couldn't blame the girl for wanting a change of pace. He placed a hand on his husband's shoulder. "Honey it may be last minute, but would it really hurt to change the tradition a little?"

The King looked up at his husband and regretted it the moment he did since Yuugi was giving him the puppy dog eyes. He sighed again and held out his hand for the paper which Yumi happily gave him. "Just so you know it will be up to all three of you to plan and make it happen before tonight."

Yumi reached across the desk to hug her brother with such speed that Yami was completely caught off guard. "Oh thank you! Tonight is going to be awesome!"

Yami smiled a little and patted his sister's back. "You're welcome, but you better run along if you want to make it happen."

The younger sister nodded and pulled back before grabbing Sakura's hand and running out of the room. Yuugi smiled and leaned down to kiss Yami's cheek. "She is lucky to have a brother like you."

"I try, but I still don't see how she will pull it off before tonight." Yami said as he went back to his paper work.

"If I know Yumi, she has probably had this planned for weeks, but never found the best time to ask for fear you might back out on the plan." Yuugi guessed as he handed Yami one of the apples he was still holding before heading for the door. "Don't work too hard. I'll see you for lunch in a few hours…"

The King raised his apple in a silence agreement as his eyes were glued to the work he was doing. Yuugi left the room with a smile and a shake of his head, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Yuugi, are you ready yet?" Yami gently called to his lover knocking on the bathroom door. Night had fallen over the city finally and the winter ball was about to begin in another thirty minutes. As always once everyone was inside the throne room, the royal family would make their entrance. Yuugi had taken a shower after Yami but had yet to come out of the bathroom. The King was dressed in black dress shoes, black slacks, a crimson button down shirt, and a black vest. He wanted to look both professional and casual during this event. The council often wanted him to dress more as a King, but Yami knew there was no need for that. He never liked wearing crowns or jewelry when he was a young prince in Egypt, so when he became King of Vampire City there had been some major changes to his look.

"This is embarrassing!" Yuugi whined from inside the bathroom. "I will never understand why Chan and Raven picked this out."

Yami chuckled. "Honey, I'm sure it's not that bad. Besides you would look good in anything you wear."

Yuugi pulled open the bathroom door to glare at his husband. "This coming from the King who likes to see his husband dressed as a girl. I'm a boy for crying out loud!" The outfit he had one was not that bad, but it was more of a woman's outfit than a man's outfit. He wore black boots with black slacks that much was okay, but the top was Yuugi's worst enemy at the moment. His top was of amethyst color, had a low curve to show off his collar bone, bell like long sleeves that stopped just before covering his hands and the worst part of it was that the back was open. The bottom of the top was tucked neatly into Yuugi's pants helping to show off his slim figure and to complete the look he had an amethyst belt around his waist to match the top.

It took the King a minute to pick his jaw up off the floor and address his beautiful mate. "I don't see a thing wrong with your outfit."

"You might not, but there is no way I am going out in this. I mean look at how much of my back is showing." Yuugi said as he turned to show Yami the back.

Yami smirked as he approached his husband and gently ran his fingers up Yuugi's back. The movement caused a shiver to run up the younger's spine. "You look ravishing and it would really make the children happy to see you in the clothes that they picked out."

As with every year the battle was lost with those words. Yuugi knew the children met well and he like to make them happy, but sometimes he felt like their dress up doll every time around this year. "Yeah I know… I just wish they would pick something that makes me look like a King rather than a Queen."

"Well you make a very sexy Queen tonight…" Yami said with a chuckle and got a good whack on the arm because of it. However it was so worth it to see the flustered look on his partner's face.

Yuugi moved passed his husband to their dresser so he could grab his locket. He put it on and then looked at himself one more time in the mirror to make sure his clothes look good enough. The younger did not want any more skin showing then had to be. The last thing he needed was some creeps grabbing him and making Yami go into possessive mode. Once he was satisfied with how he looked Yuugi turned to Yami and held out his hand.

Yami got the message as he took Yuugi's hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. He then linked his arm with Yuugi's as they made their way out of their shared bedroom. Tonight was sure to be interesting and in a way both of them were looking forward to it.

* * *

The children were all waiting for them when they got to the doors leading into the throne room. Raven and Chan were all dressed up in their beautiful dresses they had picked out the day before. Taylor, Ethan, and Jason were all dressed up in suits with different color shirts. Taylor had blue, Ethan had green, and Jason had white. Kotaro was dressed in tan pants with a white shirt and a pink tie to match Chan's dress. They all looked their best for that night's event and it made Yuugi curious to know if any of them were going to be in Yumi's fashion show.

Since the show had only been approved last minute, Yumi told the guards at the front door to pass out flyers to the guest coming into the palace to let them know about it. The first one hundred and fifty people to sign up at the table that was set up near the stage in the throne room could be in the show. If things worked out Yumi hoped to have another show next year so more people could be in it. There would be fifty women in one category, fifty men in another, and last a group of fifty teens and children. This show allowed both vampires and humans. There were no special prizes, but the best outfit out of each of the three categories would get a ribbon. In all Yumi was sure it was going to be a big hit so long as people signed up.

After having to go shopping with the girls yesterday Yuugi had no doubt that Chan and Raven would enter the show. He had a feeling they had probably helped Yumi and Sakura plan most of the show at the last minute. In any case all his children looked their best and it was moments like those that Yuugi enjoyed the most.

However his children all seemed to have a different reaction when they caught sight of his outfit. Chan and Raven both were ecstatic that he was wearing what they picked out. Kotaro simply smiled and told Yuugi he looked good, while three older boys bit their lips trying to stop from laughing. However a glare from their father kept their laughter at bay. Yuugi smiled glad to see the whole family in such good moods even though it seemed to be over his clothes.

They only had to stand outside the throne room for a few more minutes, before it was time for the royal family to make their appearance. Yuugi took a deep breath as the doors to the throne room opened. Chan and Kotaro went first, followed by Jason and Raven, and then Taylor and Ethan were the last of the royal children. Once the children disappeared through the doors, Yuugi and Yami linked arms once again and made their way into the room. They paused for the moment to look over their people and see all their happy faces.

The throne room was filled with humans and vampires alike all standing together. The room had been decorated as it was every year with its Christmas theme. There was a tree not far from the thrones and a stage that had been newly built that afternoon. As usually there were two other rooms, one for humans only and the other for vampires only, but those were empty at the moment. Everyone was gathered in the middle room parted down the middle to watch the entrance of their two Kings.

Yami squeezed Yuugi's hand as they smiled at their people and made their way down the path toward their thrones. After twenty years of doing this Yuugi still became nervous with all the eyes watching him. He always feared of messing up or tripping on his way to the throne. Just as all the years before and this one, it seemed his fears were silly as both he and Yami made it to the thrones with no problem.

Yuugi took his place on his throne with Yami giving him a kiss in front of everyone, before the King took his rightful place besides Yuugi. The King then looked toward his people with his head held high and in a loud enough voice for everyone to hear said, "Begin the Festivity!"

* * *

**Sakura: **Yes, this chapter is a little shorter than normal, but there is a point for that. I had something big planned next chapter so I needed to end this one here instead of making it longer. As I have promised things are going to start to get interesting and the next chapter is a very important one!

**Yumi: **Review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **I'm sorry if I made some readers feel bad about not reviewing. I just enjoy knowing who all is reading my story and how many people are enjoying it. I'm glad I got more reviews for the last chapter and I hope they keep coming. No matter how long or short the reviews are I love seeing what my readers think. Anyway this chapter is where finally some action comes in!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Cold Winter Night**

A party the people will never forget

* * *

The Winter Ball was in full swing as vampires and humans mingle with both each other and their own kind. Some humans had migrated to the human only room, while some vampires went to the vampire only room. Food was served not long after the part had begun, so an hour into the party everyone was talking, dancing, and partying the night away with full stomachs. It was a sight that always bought a smile to both the King and his mate.

At the time Yuugi was currently on the dance floor with little Chan. She was holding on to both of Yuugi's hands as they twirled around and danced to the music without a care in the world. As always Yami was not far as he stood on the edge of the floor to keep an eye on both his child and lover. It's not like Yuugi needed protection, but with the clothes he was wearing, Yami had taken notice of many hunger looks from other vampires. Many knew not to touch the mate of the King, but that would not stop both male and female vampires and humans from trying to ask Yuugi to dance. As long as Yami, the children, or their friends were near Yuugi, he would not be asked.

Once the song ended Chan hugged her papa before skipping off to somewhere else. Yami then quickly stepped in and put his arms around Yuugi as the next song started up. Yuugi smiled up at him as he put his arms around Yami's neck to pull him close.

"Being a little overprotective dear?" Yuugi teased as they swayed to the slow song that was being played.

"I just don't like the looks you are getting," Yami answered with full honesty.

Yuugi reached up and gave Yami a peck on the cheek. "That's sweet, but you know I can handle myself. Most are probably too scared to ask since they know you are not far from me. Besides if you and the kids would let me dress myself you would not have to worry about me getting stared at."

"Ah, you got me there, I might have to consider letting you pick your own outfit next year." Yami said as he knew Yuugi did have a point. Every year he or his children pick the outfit Yuugi would wear and every year Yami would be his same overprotective self.

Yuugi chuckled. "Darling, I will believe that when it does happen." He moved his hand down to grab one of Yami's and then led him off the dance floor. When they were away from most of the crowd, he leaned against the nearest wall with a sigh of relief. "So when is the fashion show supposed to happen?"

Yami shrugged as he moved to lean against the wall next to Yuugi. "Yumi is supposed to come find me when they are ready so I can announce it to everyone else. We probably have another hour or hour and a half before it happens."

"Alright, well give me a minute to catch my breath and then we can go find our friends. I hear Ryou, Malik, and Kisara are going to be judges in the fashion show and I would like to talk with them before that happens." Yuugi explained to his husband as he scanned the crowd for at least one of their friends. It was surprising how crowed the place looked compared to last year. There were defiantly more people who had entered the city and less that probably wanted to leave for the holidays.

"What do you need to talk to them about?" Yami asked.

"It's nothing really, I just haven't seen them all day and since the party started. Normally we get together for a few minutes just to talk. There is nothing wrong with that is there?" Yuugi said with a grin up at his husband.

Yami smirked down at his partner and lean in close to his face. "What if there is?" He teased back.

Yuugi stuck his tongue out at Yami and pushed off the wall. "Then I would say you are sleeping on the floor tonight." He said with a smirk of his own as he started to walk away.

The King paled at the thought of not sharing his bed with Yuugi, even though he knew the younger was just messing with him. "You really shouldn't say things like that…" He said as he hurried after his mate. If anyone had the King wrapped around their finger it was Yuugi Mutou.

* * *

It was as if Yami was a mind reader, when within another hour, Yumi managed to track her brother down to let him know the fashion show was ready. All models were getting ready behind the stage either fixing their clothes or changing into something else. Yumi had gathered all the extra clothes she could from local stores since the fashion show had been last minute to give those who wanted to be in the show, but did not like their outfit something to wear.

Both Yuugi and Yami sat on their thrones watching as both vampires and humans gathered near the stage to see the show and the judges took their place at the table that was set up for them. Ethan and Jason were the only two of the King's children who were not in the show, so they stood on the other side of Yuugi's throne so they would have good seats. Yumi had tried to talk Yuugi into being in the show, once she saw his outfit, but Yuugi refused to go up on stage looking the way he did. It was no surprise when Yami agreed with Yuugi and quickly sent his sister away from his partner.

It was not long before the lights dimmed a little and Yumi walked up on stage. The room became silence as she began to speak. "Welcome to the first annual Winter Ball Fashion Show!" There was applause all around which put a smile on Yumi's face. "I'm glad everyone is excited. I wanted to let everyone know if this show is a big hit, we will try and make every winter ball more exciting than the next. You may leave your comments in a comment box when you leave tonight at the front gate."

The crowed clapped for Yumi again before it died down as she started to speak again. "Now the contests will be judged by three members of our King's council. They will judge each group and the winner of each group will win a ribbon, so there will be many winners tonight! First group up is the children and teen group!" She announced before hurrying off stage as the first of the group started to come up to show what they were wearing.

Every child and teen that came up on stage got cheers from the crowd and Yuugi knew there would be no boos since all the children and teens looked adorable. He looked to his husband when Chan and Kotaro walked out together like they were some cute couple. "I have a feeling Chan and Kotaro would have grown up to be models if they had been given the chance to grow up a little more."

Yami had to agree with Yuugi. "Although they already make good children models, I wouldn't be surprised if after tonight most of these children do not get phones calls from stores downtown wanting them to model their clothes."

"I think this show may have just started up a new business for the city." Yuugi said with a chuckle.

As the children and teen group ended, the second group which was women started to come across the stage. It was about half way through those that Sakura ran up to the throne and grabbed Yuugi's hand. "Chan needs to see you a minute."

Yuugi instantly became concerned at his daughter's name. "What's wrong?"

Sakura just offered a smile. "It's nothing serious she just really wants you to be with her."

"Go on Yuugi, she probably just got nervous after being on stage." Yami assured his partner. Out of all the children Chan had become extremely close to Yuugi. She was the first out of all of them to call Yuugi papa.

Yuugi nodded and quickly followed Sakura. Ethan watched them leave before turning to his father. "Do you really think Chan wanted Yuugi?"

Yami shook his head. "No, I still think Yumi is trying to pull something to get Yuugi on that stage, but I'm sure Yuugi can handle himself."

"You just want to see Yuugi up on stage so you can flaunt what you have and others don't." Ethan said with a smirk to his father. Sometimes the man had sneaky ways of showing the people just how beautiful his mate truly was.

The King simply smiled as he watched the last of the contests walk across the stage. The men group was small since most did not want to be part of a fashion show. There were only about ten guys who signed up including the King's son, Taylor. Judging by Ethan's frown, Taylor just wanted to get up on stage to show off or to get the ladies attention to make Ethan jealous. Their relationship was weird, but Yami knew they cared and loved each other. They both had their own ways of trying to get the others attention. Taylor's ways just led him to sleeping on the couch most nights.

It wasn't long after the men's group was done that Yumi came back on stage. "So what did everyone think?" By the applause she received the show had been a big success. "I'm glad to hear everyone had a good time, now before we return to the party we must announce our winners! I present to everyone our very own King Yuugi to hand out the ribbons to our winners."

Yami knew Yumi had something up her sleeve as he watched his husband walk out on stage to stand next to her. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere, but there at the moment. The King was certainly enjoying the view until a guard hurried up to him and whispered something to him so Ethan and Jason could not hear.

When the guard was finished, Yami whispered something back to him, before the guard took off again and Yami stood up. He turned to his sons and said, "I have something that needs my attention at the moment. Please let Yuugi know to keep the partying going until the scheduled time it is to end." He left with hurried steps before they could question him.

Jason looked to his older brother with a frown. "What was that about?"

Ethan shrugged, "A fight probably broke out or something. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Those words were not enough to calm Jason's worry, but he let it go, knowing his father could handle it.

* * *

The city was quiet expect for one part of the vampire side of town. When Yami arrived at the scene with Bakura and Marik, he found two fire trucks putting out the burning blaze of two houses. It was a surprising scene to behold, but thankfully with the Winter Ball going on there were not many people around. There were also two ambulances on the scene one had a young girl sitting in the back, while the other was empty.

"Bakura, go find out what happened from the young lady and Marik go help the firefighters so we can get this blaze out before more houses go up." The two nodded to their King before they took off. Yami was able to quickly locate the Fire Chief, who was watching his men put out the blaze.

The King approached him and asked, "What happened here?"

"We will not know sir until we put out the blaze. The only thing we do know is that the family next door called us saying there was a fire at their neighbor's house. Sadly we could not get here in time to stop their house from also catching on fire. The family was able to get out and their neighbor's daughter is in the ambulance over there, but according to her, her father is still trapped inside their house." The Fire Chief explained to his King. "We have been fighting this fire for over an hour. If my unit cannot put it out alone, I need your permission to allow firefighters from the human's unit to come to our aid."

Yami looked toward the fire and could tell this vampire unit could handle it. They had already put the fire out on one house and the other looked about ready to be put out also. "I have faith they can put out the blaze on their own. Once it is safe I want an investigation on what was the cause of the fire." He left without another word and made his way over to where Bakura and the young lady were at sitting in the back of the ambulance.

Bakura saw him approach, so he patted the young lady on the shoulder, before walking toward his King. "She's very upset at the moment. I think she's too shock at what happened to really tell us anything."

"I hate to admit it, but you are not the best when talking to women," Yami said as he walked passed Bakura, who growled at him. While Yami went to talk to the girl, Bakura went to find Marik and help him out.

The young lady had a look of surprise when Yami sat down beside her and offered her a gentle smile. She quickly wiped at her eyes so she did not look like a mess in front of her King. "I'm sor…" She was not able to finish her sentence as Yami held up his hand to silence her.

"There's no need to be sorry. You have every right to be upset over what has happened. I hear that your father was trapped in the blaze?"

The young lady nodded as she blew her nose on a tissue. "Yeah, I believe the fire started in his room. I had been asleep in my room when I sensed something was wrong and woke up to smoke coming into my room. When I opened the door to my room, I found the hallway filled with smoke and fire leading from my father's room. There was so much fire I knew it was unsafe so I went downstairs to search hoping he had still been downstairs watching TV…" She stopped for a moment to wipe more tears away as they started to fall faster. "I couldn't find him anywhere and that's when I knew the worst must have happened to him."

Yami put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's not dwell on the negative until we are completely sure. Would you mind if I asked what your name is?"

"Lilith and my father's name is Kyo. We have lived in this city as vampires for over thirty years and nothing like this has ever happened to us."

"Sometimes things happen, but I assure you that you will be well taken care of. Do you have anyone you can stay with?" Yami asked since there was plenty of room in the palace if she had nowhere else to go. He also still had to speak to the other family to see if they needed a place to stay for the night until repairs could be done to the homes or find the families new housing.

Lilith nodded. "I may not look it, but I was over thirty when I was changed. I came here with my father and soon married a vampire who changed me, before I then changed my father so he could continue to live with me. My husband went to the winter ball with his family while I choose to stay with my father. Every holiday we normally get together but my father did not wish to go to the ball so I stayed behind with him. This was my father's house that has sadly burned down. I wish I had talked him into coming over to my house instead."

The King could feel the pain Lilith was going through. She may have lost a father that night when it was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Something happened to cause that fire and he was determined to figure it out so Lilith could have some peace of mind. He dreaded his next question but it was important for him to know. "Lilith, I really hate to ask, but what was your father's weakness?"

That simple question caused a whole new dam of tears to fall down her face. She sobbed into her hands and just with that reaction Yami knew it without her having to say it, but he needed to confirm it with words. It was faster to find out from the daughter than travel all the way back to the palace and look in the records. The King gently rubbed her back to try and calm her down. It was at that moment he noticed the bandages wrapped around her whole left arm. Any other vampire, who suffered an injury, would have began to heal immediately and there would be no need for medical attention. However he had been a witness to many non-healing wounds and they could only mean one thing.

"Both you and your father are weak against fire, correct?"

Lilith looked up in shock. "How did you know?"

Yami moved his hand and placed it gently on her arm. He could still feel the heat from the burn marks he knew where underneath the bandages. "Simply from your wounds, if you had not been weak against fire than any burns you got from the fire would already be healing. It appears you will have a good while before those wounds heal up."

The young lady looked down at her arm and placed her other hand on top the King's hand. "That is why I believe my father is no longer with me. Our whole life we did everything we could to protect ourselves and our home from ever catching on fire, but it seems we were unlucky tonight."

There was defiantly something strange going on, Yami could feel it. Vampires who are weak against fire, protect their homes with extreme care and Yami makes sure that everything electrical is up to date. It was uncommon for a home that held a vampire weak against fire to go up in flames. There had to be an investigation no matter what, because for some reason this did not feel like a simple accident.

The King was pulled from his thoughts when Marik and Bakura ran up to him. They quickly informed him that the fires had been put out and the Fire Chief wished to see him. Yami made sure Lilith would be alright by herself, before he hurried toward the homes with his friends behind him.

When he entered the once home of Lilith's father, he noticed all the firefighters already starting the investigation by looking around for clues in what was left of the home. The house was still standing, but everything had been damaged by the flames. The stairs were in no condition to climb for normal humans, but vampires could be light on their feet. Bakura and Marik lead their King to the second floor and down the hall to where the fire was believed to have started.

The Fire Chief was already looking around, but stopped when Yami entered the room. "Sir, we cannot be sure yet, but the fire may have started in here. Judging by the amount of damage done to this room compared to the others, the fire was trapped in here first before making its way through the rest of the house." He made his way over to the bed where only a burnt mattress laid with ashes covering the top. "If the girl's father had been trapped in his room, these could be his ashes but we cannot be sure."

Yami walked closer and took a look. He gently took a handful of the ashes in his hand and held them up closer to his face. "I've seen burned vampires many of times. These are ashes from a vampire," he said gravely as he gently put the ashes back on the mattress. "I'll need someone to collect them so we may give Lilith's father a proper burial." He really hated giving bad news to family members and he really hated giving funerals.

"Yami, this may have been the starting point of the fire," Bakura said calling Yami over to come and look.

The King hurried over to the window to the far side of the room. The curtains were gone if there had been any and the window had been blackened by the smoke. The only items that remained were a burnt metal trash can with trash inside. Bakura reached into the trash can and pulled out a lighter along with a group of used cigarettes.

"This area around the window has it the worst and judging by the bar across the window there may have been a curtain here. The girl's father could have taken a smoke before bed, but did not put the cigarette out completely and the curtain could have caught fire if it had been resting in the trash can. That or he threw the lighter away and it still had some juice causing a spark if it hit something." Bakura explained acting like an ace detective. If there was anything Bakura and Marik knew it was crimes and accidents. They could find clues no one else can.

"You have a point there Bakura, but I see something wrong with that theory of yours." Yami said as he snatched the lighter away from the white hair vampire. "I found out from Lilith that this family had a weakness against fire. So my question to you is why would a man, who is weak against fire smoke cigarettes and have a lighter in his home?" He questioned as he used the lighter which came to life with a strong flame proving it was still a good working lighter.

"He wouldn't, since it would mean endangering himself and his family." Marik spoke for all of them.

Yami nodded. "This lighter may have been the cause of the fire along with those cigarettes. The only thing we need to do now is find out who wanted this family dead." He tossed the lighter back to Bakura, before starting to make his leave.

There was complete proof that someone else started the fire, but the questions remained were who started the fire and why did they want both Lilith and her father dead. Most of his people had been at the Winter Ball, but it would not have been hard for anyone to sneak away. There were also those who did not attend the event and choose to stay home. He could rule out humans since they were not allowed in the vampire district and there were cameras at the front gate to the area to make sure of that. However with the last war that broke out in the city, he knew it was not smart to rule them out. He knew it would be best to check those cameras before ruling the humans out and looking at only vampires. The whole thing was a complete mystery, but Yami trusted both Bakura and Marik to help him solve it to stop it from happening again. It was rare for a vampire to be killed on purpose and Yami did not want it happening again whether this was a one time attack or not. The killer had to be bought forth for their crimes.

* * *

**Sakura: **I think I just made things much more interesting for my readers as we really start to get into the plot. I also want to mention that Lilith was a one time character just for this chapter and she will not be seen again, I just felt the need to give her a name so I did not have to call her lady and girl in almost every sentence.

**Yumi: Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Small Note**

**Sakura: **This is a continuation of the last chapter. Nothing really interesting in this chapter, but I want to slow things down a bit, before the story takes off again with more action.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Father, Husband, and King**

Three very important titles for just one man

* * *

By the time King Yami returned to his palace most of the party goers were leaving and some had already left. Those slowly making their way out were still carrying on with friends or family, while others silently left with a smile on their faces. Guards were stationed all throughout the palace and leading to the front gate to make sure there were no troubles and the party goers could make it home safely. It felt weird sneaking around his own palace, but Yami wanted to slip back into the main hall without being noticed by his spouse. He had hated leaving Yuugi behind, but he did not want to worry him over nothing. The two never kept secrets from each other and given the situation he would need to tell Yuugi about it anyway. However he wanted to deal with that tomorrow and let everyone enjoy the holiday night.

As he moved around to the main foyer he noticed Yuugi was not the one seeing the guest out. Instead it was his three older sons along with Raven. Confused by Yuugi's lack of presence, he headed straight for the throne room. Sadly the only people left in the room where those who were doing a quick cleanup of the place. In the morning they would do a full cleaning so no trace of dirt would be left behind.

Since his husband was nowhere to be seen, Yami decided to try the bedrooms before asking anyone if they had seen him. Yuugi was more than capable of taking care of himself, but it still worried Yami when he had no clue where his lover was. The first most logical place was the younger children's bedroom since his two youngest also seemed to be missing. There rooms were located closer not far from his own bedroom so he would not have to travel far to see if Yuugi was in their bedroom.

When he arrived at the hall, he did not even have to look into any bedrooms, as his husband walked out of Kotaro's room. The smaller vampire took one look at him, before he headed straight for their room. Yami was confused by the frown on Yuugi's face so he quickly followed him. As he entered their room and shut the door, Yuugi turned on him with a glare.

"Where were you?"

Yami was taken aback by the harsh words being spoken to him. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?" Yuugi shouted as he put his hands on his hip. "I go up for a minute to pass out ribbons and then you disappear."

"I'm sorry if I worried you…"

"Worried? I wasn't worried, but you really hurt Chan's feelings with your little disappearing act." Yuugi informed him to which Yami raised an eyebrow in clear confusion.

"Hurt Chan's feelings? Yuugi seriously stop talking in circles and tell me what I did wrong." Yami said in a calm tone, hoping to calm his own husband down. He honestly had no idea why Chan would be hurt by him leaving the party for a little while. Normally after the party she would disappear to her room with Kotaro anyway.

"Chan won a ribbon and you were not there to see it."

The King's eyes widen at the news as he finally saw his mistake. No matter how much she acted like a big girl, Chan was like any other child that wanted to make her parents happy. By winning a ribbon in the fashion show she did something to be proud of and Yami sadly was not there to see it.

"Oh…" Yami sighed as he really was not sure what else to say to something like that.

"Oh is right. She was so disappointed to turn and see you were not on your throne."

"Yuugi honestly I did not mean to be away…" Yami tried to defend himself. He knew Yuugi had every right to be angry, but he was still the King of a city and had things he needed to tend to.

"Seriously Yami what could be so damn important for you to miss the end of the fashion show?" Yuugi questioned wondering what got his husband to miss the ending of the party.

Yami rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache begin to form. He had wanted to come home and just sleep, but he had to do damage control with his family first it seemed. "Yuugi, listen I had not planned to be away, but there was a fire in the vampire district."

"Fire…?" Yuugi mood changed at that word as his eyes widen a little. "Why in the world was there a fire?"

The King walked up to his husband and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Why don't you get changed for bed and I'll see to everything else. I also want to talk to Chan real quick before she goes to sleep." He kissed Yuugi's forehead. "I promise I'll tell you everything once I get back."

Yuugi could not get another word out as his husband left the room. He had been so mad at his husband and then he learns about some fire. There were so many more questions he wanted to ask his King, but he knew Yami had to deal with some things before they could rest for the night. So without anything else to do, Yuugi set about getting ready for bed so he could wait on Yami to return.

* * *

The midnight hour was upon the palace when Yami was finally able to finish all his duties as King from seeing the people off into the night, to making sure the cleaning crew did their job and did not stay up late. His older children left his side as soon as he came down from his talk with Yuugi and he couldn't blame them. He had missed an important moment in his daughter's life and they all had the right to be mad at him. So once everything was done and the palace was locked up tight with guards at their post, Yami made his way up to his daughter's room. There was no telling whether she would be awake or not after what happened, but the King had to try. It did not feel right leaving her upset over what happened for the night and talking to her in the morning.

When he arrived at his daughter's door, he first gave it a quick knock to see if she would answer, but when she did not then Yami opened the door. Inside it was dark except for the light coming in from the moon. There was a small figure on the bed curled up under the covers staying perfectly still so it was hard to tell whether Chan was asleep or not.

The little girl's dress laid forgotten on the floor along with it the ribbon she got for winning the children group. A simple dress that had looked so well on his daughter was casted to the side without a care and it caused Yami's heart to hurt. If anything Chan took the best care of her clothes mostly her dresses since she loved to go around the palace in them to show off. She was every bit the little princess Yami had come to care for.

"Chan, are you still awake?" He called out to his daughter, but once again she remained silent. Yami did not wish to wait the sleeping girl if she really was asleep. The best way to find out was to look for himself so he carefully made his way toward the bed and took a seat next to the small girl. Placing his hand on the covers he pulled them back just enough to see hazel eyes staring up at him.

Tears stained her cheeks in rows and just at the sight of her father, Yami could see new tears that wanted to come down. The King reached out pulling Chan out of her cocoon she had created out of her covers and setting her on his lap. He wrapped her up in his embrace letting her cling to him as she cried all over again. There was so much pain in her tears that Yami never wanted to hear her cry like that again. The last time she had cried this hard was when he mother walked out on her and left her in the care of the King.

"Chan I…"

"You weren't there!" Chan cried as she wiped at her tears. "I looked for you and you weren't there."

"I know honey and I'm so sorry," Yami apologized as he felt tears from his own eyes start to fall. "Something came up and I had to leave. If I had known you were going to win I would had stayed."

"Why?" The little girl asked as she looked up at her father. "What was so important to make you leave?"

Yami reached up to wipe her tears away and move her hair out of her face. "It's nothing you need to worry about. Just know that I'm so sorry for not being there when I should have been. Yugi told me you were so happy to have won. I really should have been there to see it for myself." It was moments like this that he wished he had not been made King of the city. There was so much responsibility for one man, who was also a husband and father. Often times his children understood if he had to leave for business, but when his children had a major achievement in life whether it is getting married like Jason and Raven did to Chan simply getting a ribbon in a fashion show. He wanted to be there and he could have been if only he had made the better choice. Chan did not have many achievements in life and the one she was most excited about her father had not been there like the rest of her family.

"Daddy, please don't disappear like that again…" Chan said quietly as she calmed down. She had stopped crying when she realized she had made her own father cry. That was the last thing she had wanted to do, but she had just been so upset that he had not been there.

Yami continued to hug her as he gently rocked his daughter. "Never again will I disappear again without telling you where I'm going." He promised as he kissed the top of her head. "I just don't want you to be mad at me anymore."

"I'm not mad daddy, just sad that you were not there to congratulate me."

The King smiled at those words as he slowly released his hold on his daughter. He placed her back on her bed, so she could get under the covers. "No matter what anyone else says you looked beautiful in that dress of yours and you deserved that ribbon." He told her as he went to pick up the ribbon off the floor and return it to her. "Make sure you take care of it so you can show it off to everyone tomorrow."

Chan nodded as she took the ribbon back in her hands. She then used the string attached to the ribbon to tie it to her bedpost near her head. "You know I love you right daddy?"

"Yes and I will always love you sweetie." Yami gave her another kiss this time on the forehead before he tucked her into bed. Almost immediately as her head hit the pillow did Chan close her eyes and drift off to sleep. As she fell asleep, Yami took the time to hang her dress up properly before heading out of the room. He took one more look at his daughter and promised to be a better father from then on before he closed the door.

Before he headed back to his own room, he quickly checked in on Kotaro who was fast asleep already. Since the little boy was already passed out for the night, Yami left him alone and then headed to his and Yuugi's room. Once inside he closed the door behind him turning out the light before making his way over to his bed. His husband was already under the covers dressed in his pajamas, so Yami quickly stripped to his boxers then made himself comfortable on the bed with his lover.

Yuugi welcomed the warm arms that encircle him even though he had been mad at Yami a few hours before. His husband deserved a chance to explain himself and not be yelled at. Yami was a great father to their children and he felt bad for shouting at him earlier. "I'm sorry…" He said as he began to apologize, but was quickly silence with a kiss to the lips.

When Yami pulled away he had a smile on his face to show he was not angry. "No you have every right to be mad at me. I talked to Chan and I feel really bad about leaving without telling anyone. I really should have thought my daughter had a chance to win. My family should always come first…."

"You can't help it though," Yuugi argued back. "You are the King to this city. I should have realized that something important had to have come up for you to just leave like that. The important thing is that at least one of us was there for Chan."

"Why don't we both just forgive and forget," Yami suggested since he knew Yuugi wanted to know about the fire he told him about earlier. After the nights events he was tired and seriously needed some sleep badly.

Yuugi agreed with him as he asked the question they both knew was coming. "So what is this about a fire?"

"It happened in the Vampire district. I was informed that two houses had gone up in flames while the ball was going on and two families had lost their homes. There was one vampire who was killed in the fire given he was weak against it. After investigation by myself, Bakura, and Marik, we all feel that someone started the fire on purpose and made it look like an accident." Yami explained to his partner, who was surprised all over again after hearing the whole story.

"Wait a minute, someone wanted to murder those vampires?" Yuugi asked in disbelief. "Who would want to do such a thing?"

Yami sighed as he turned to stare at the ceiling. "Believe me Yuugi, I wish I knew. Bakura and Marik are going to continue to look into it so we have plenty of proof that someone else started the fire. However with how much damage the fire did, we are not sure how much proof we can get." He reached up to rub his forehead trying to relieve the stress he was feeling. "It's not often a vampire is killed and the last time many were killed was during the rebellion."

Memories of that rebellion flashed before Yuugi's eyes and he seriously hoped this was not the start of another uproar by the vampires. Yuugi could not lose any more people to another war. So many had died during that fight and it was also when Yuugi almost died at the hands of Jiro. Peace had been restored to the city already and he wanted it to stay peaceful.

Warms hands turned his face to look down into crimson eyes full of nothing but love. The King pulled him down just enough to brush their lips together, before tan arms encircled Yuugi again pulling him down so he was laying on top his husband. "I'm sorry if this is scaring you, but you have the right to know."

Yuugi shook his head as he buried his face in Yami's chest. "No, you have no reason to be sorry. I'm just scared for our family if this turns out to be something bigger than a simple fire."

"Well nothing has been concluded yet, so it's best we get some sleep and try to forget about it for now." Yami said as he started to run his fingers through Yuugi's hair. It always helped Yuugi sleep at night and tonight was no different.

Yuugi curled up as much as he could to his mate as he took his advice and closed his eyes to sleep. There was so much running through his mind now, but after that nights events he was just ready to pass out. His husband on the other hand would lay awake for another few hours, before sleep would finally claim him. It was a restless night for the both of them and there would be a lot to discuss first thing in the morning.

* * *

By the next morning, breakfast was eaten closer to noon for both the King and his mate before they made it into the King's study to begin the day. Yuugi set to work on his daily duties of filing paperwork that was left from yesterday and putting new files that Yami needed to look over on the desk. However the King's mind was on other things as he pulled out blank building permits to be filled out. He wanted to get the construction of the new homes done as soon as possible so the families could move back in if they so desire to. One home would go up for sale since the owner of the last home died in the fire, but either way two new homes would be built in the vampire district. He also had to look into getting a vampire working crew given where the homes were being built. Humans were in no way allowed in the district for any reason.

"Hey Yuugi, look into the files of supplies we have for construction. I think a new shipment of lumber is supposed to come in at the end of the month." Yami asked of his husband. The city held many things thanks to humans coming and going, however there were still things that needed to be shipped from outside the city such as lumber and bricks for building. Every month a shipment would come in and a stock pile would be held at the palace until it was needed. When the city was running low he would contact the portal holders who would then use their resources to get it and at a reasonable time. Besides construction items, there were sometimes shipments of grocery items to stock the grocery stores but those shipments came at the beginning of the month. Other than that, not much else was shipped into the city from the outside. They had factories for making clothes and automobiles located at the farther end of downtown away from the communities and businesses.

Yuugi looked for the correct file on his laptop before approaching the desk to show Yami. "We might have enough supplies to finish the construction on both homes, however any other construction will have to be put on hold until we get the new supplies."

"I'll write up letters to our two construction companies to let them know construction of any building will be on hold until the end of the month. I'm sure given the cold and snow they have probably not worked for a while now anyway." Yami said as he wrote himself a note to write those letters.

"Where will the families stay until that is finished?"

"They are staying with other family members at the moment. The victim had a daughter staying with him for the night who did not live there, so his house will either go on the market or I will give the daughter the option to move into the new home. The other home had a small family, who will either be placed in a new home on the market or stay with family until we finish rebuilding their home," Yami explained to him as he continued to fill out the paperwork to have the homes rebuilt.

Yuugi set to work helping him by dealing with other matters and paperwork. As Yami set at his desk working and Yuugi made himself comfortable on the couch, two of Yami's council came barging in. Bakura and Marik walked straight into the room, the white hair one carrying an evidence bag with a piece of cloth inside.

Bakura set the bag on the desk. "We finally got your proof…"

Yami reached for the evidence bag to get a better look at what was on the inside. It appeared to be a torn piece of cloth either from a coat or shirt. "Where did you find this?"

"Seems whoever started the fire, had escaped out the backdoor. They probably climbed the backyard gate and their shirt got caught and ripped. They either did not think anything of it or did not notice." Marik explained to his King. "The real kicker is the scent we found on the cloth."

Careful of the evidence tape, Yami opened the bag and took a small sniff inside the bag. Once the smell reached his nose he pulled back in shock. "You're serious that this was found near the home?"

"Completely serious and no one has touched it but me and Marik," Bakura informed him. "Someone did start the fire and that someone was not supposed to be in the district."

"What is it Yami?" Yuugi asked as he completely forgot his work and made his way back to his lover. "Do you know who that cloth belongs to?"

Yami shook his head as a response. "I don't know who, but this does tell us what had started the fire."

"What started the fire?" Yuugi pressed as Yami closed up the evidence bag and gave it back to Bakura.

His next words made Yuugi's blood run cold. "A human started the fire." The room felt silent at those words and Yuugi almost could not believe it.

"But humans aren't allowed in the vampire district."

"I know that Yuugi and it appears someone forgot that rule and started that fire." Yami looked up at Bakura and Marik with a serious look on his face. "Make sure this does not get out to the media or anyone in the palace. I want a full investigation done so we have the full story. There is no need to cause an uproar when we do not have all our facts together."

His two friends agreed before they quickly left the office to get to work. Once they were gone, Yami pulled keys out of his pocket and unlocked one of the drawers on his desk. Inside on a pillow were two flash drives, one labeled humans and the other labeled vampires. He grabbed the one labeled humans and passed it off to Yuugi.

"I want you to compare the humans living here with the list of people who came to the party. We need to narrow down our list of humans before asking questions." The King looked around his desk before he finally found the list from the party the night before that he had put in his office before bed. Everyone who came to the palace the night before was supposed to sign their names so if anything happened to anyone he would know where they were last at. He then located the small list of humans who were only here temporary and passed that also to Yuugi. "I need you to do this for me as quickly as you can okay."

Yuugi nodded as he looked up at Yami with concern. "What are you going to do?"

Yami closed and locked the drawer before he stood up with some files that needed filing in the file room. "I'm going to visit the file room and find the file on our victim. I need to know more about him before I can figure out why he was killed." This was the part of the job Yami hated the most when a vampire or human died. He was the one responsible for taking their files out of the file room and getting rid of it. The files were useless if the person was dead, but when their files were burned it just felt so final to Yami. It was not so bad when a human left the city for good, because they were still alive. He hated when a vampire or human died in his city especially after the small war they had went through. Many had died during that fight and it took a while for everyone to recover.

Before Yami could leave, Yuugi grabbed his arm and turned him to face him. He then lean up and kissed his husband with as much love as he could. When they broke apart Yuugi simply smiled at him. "Please be careful."

Yami smiled right back and lean in for another quick kiss. "I promise I will. Come and find me when you're done with the list okay…" He told Yuugi before quickly leaving the office.

Yuugi sighed as he collected his laptop off the couch and headed over to Yami's desk. He made himself comfortable before he connected the flash drive with his laptop to bring up the files on it. The real files on the citizens were kept in the file room, but names of who lived in the city were kept on flash drives for easy access. The younger vampire remembered Yami telling him that it was his own children who came up with the idea when the city started to upgrade to the technology age before Yuugi had even been born. First they had use floppy disks, but then smaller more useful flash drives came out and everything changed to those. It had taken the children months as a family to go through the file room and put everyone's names down. If anything Yuugi was grateful for it since it made this job much easier.

"Alright time to get to work," Yuugi said as he opened up the first file and a long list of names popped up. Slowly and carefully with a speed of a vampire, Yuugi started to go through all the names on the flash drive and compare it to the party list. If anything Yuugi really hoped that a human had not been the cause of the fire. The evidence was there and if a human had started the fire, then this could destroy the peace they had built back up.

* * *

**Sakura: **This chapter wrote itself! I was going to put something totally different in this chapter, but then out of the blue this came along. I love showing Yami as a father to his children, a husband to his partner, and a king to his city. He really does have three different roles to juggle daily.

**Yumi: Review!**


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